Just Tell Someone You’re Getting Coffee (7/15/14)

It really doesn’t matter where I go or what I do these days, it seems like collectively society is becoming more and more self-centered and inconsiderate. I know a few months back someone felt the need to take up four parking spots with his/her car during one of the busy shopping holidays. On another occasion a woman having a conversation on her cell phone blew through a stop sign as I was crossing the intersection. Consideration really does seem to be a thing of the past.

Most recently I was an airport greeter for a local conference, and based on the professions of the attendees I wouldn’t have thought that consideration would have been an issue. You could say that customer service was actually part of the attendees job description, but you wouldn’t have known it by the way a large number of them conducted themselves.

They all had prearranged car service, which in and of itself was a logistical nightmare without them compounding the existing problems. A car delayed for a 20 minute coffee break. Another car was delayed for 35 minutes because an attendee couldn’t inform anyone that he wasn’t coming in on his scheduled flight; he would be coming in later. Rearranging three cars because two attendees couldn’t let anyone know that they were bringing their three children with them.

All minor issues if the guilty parties had only taken a minute to think about someone other than themselves for just a minute, but hay in this day in age, in my opinion, consideration is on the endangered species list and is pushing towards extinction.