Whatever happened to consideration for others?

I spend a fair amount of time in airports.  They're almost always crowded, full of people who need to get somewhere on a schedule.  I'm one of those people.  I appreciate the need to move along quickly, and I also completely understand the desire to catch up on email, check texts, and so on.

What I don't understand is how so very many people are so self-absorbed that they can't be bothered to consider the effects of their actions on others.

Friday, in the Charlotte airport, I had to come to a halt four times because women stopped suddenly in front of me to study their phones.  If you need to stop and study your phone, step to a wall on the side, out of the flow of traffic, and dive into your phone.  It's not difficult.

When I tried to go into a men's restroom, I asked three times for the men who were clogging the entrance, standing around talking, to let me through before I finally just shouldered one of them aside.  (I know I was wrong to do that, but I had taken all I could manage at that time.)  If you and your friends need to chat, great, take it to the side, and don't block any entrances.

These are but two examples of many.  I can find no consistent pattern across age, gender, style of dress, or any other factor.  In these large public places, we are all physically sharing the same space, but we seem to be oblivious to that fact, each of us living in our own little worlds.  I'd like to say this is an American problem, but I've faced the same issues in London, Paris, Florence, and other cities.

Surely we can do better.  Let's be more aware of those around us.  Let's show a little consideration, a little common courtesy.  We can make the world a bit better for all of us, and at a very small cost.