Today my family and I are flying home to Florida to see my wife’s side of the family for the upcoming Fourth of July Holiday. Obviously this means we have to fly, mostly because it is cheaper than paying for gas at this point. Our preferred carrier is Southwest, they have good people and the freedom to move about the country.
Arriving at our small town airport today, I was not expecting to see the mass amount of students who surround us now. Apparently, there is a large class trip to another State, I guess this is a good way to spend summer. Obviously while we are on the up swing from the recent global viral outbreak, we are not fully there. Please understand, I am not a “everyone needs a mask” and a “get your shot or die” type person, mostly because I do believe in the freedoms we carry as Americans.
Freedom, and responsibility…
“With great power, comes great responsibility”. The same could be said for freedoms, while we have them they come with a lot of responsibility. In fact, we could have avoided a large global outbreak had some precautions, common sense, and responsibility been used in the beginning. See the problem we face is not illnesses, the problem we stand here facing is still the same. Common Sense.
You see common sense, and it’s brother common courtesy, are in short supply. We are facing a epidemic of a lack of common sense and courtesy. You see common sense is that little voice in your head that says “don’t do this, it would be disrespectful to others” or “do this, it would be kind”. This, this is what we are lacking, and this is the disease spreading across the planet. I call it “the me syndrome”.
You see as I sit writing this article, a family sits near me, with a sick child. Rosy cheeks, raspy voice, sniffles, etc. You can see on others faces they know too, and it’s irritating. I understand that a lot of money goes into these trips, I really do; however, your expense does not justify this kind of behavior. This is not just today either, I have had this bee in my sneaker since I was a child. This right here shows you that our crisis is not public health, it’s common sense, common decency.
The Crisis, “the me syndrome”…
I mentioned it earlier in this article, “the me syndrome” is our problem. Now as a milenial I blame my generation and a large portion of the parents of my generation. It is part of this whole “everyone gets a trophy” or “everyone gets a prize” culture we have created. It is giving people the impression that they are so special, that they are the only one that matters. Hence the reason I call this “the me syndrome”. While it may seem like it has ceased to become worse or spread, it indeed is getting worse.
You see recently I had a cough, it was nothing major, in fact it was related to Acid Reflux. Who knew right? I digress, my point here is that when I had this I limited my contact with the public. No one wants to shake hands with the guy who is hacking up a lung. This ideology and attitude makes sense, why would I want to get sick because you could not stay home? Why do I want your germs because you are too self centered to think of others?
The wrapping, without a bow though…
I do feel for folks, and I get it. No one wants to be out the money for a trip, or miss a memory. This is fair, and truth be told I do not want to be out money or miss a memory either. So when does common sense kick in? I guess for me it kicks in whenever I know that my actions could cause another person harm or danger. Am I really so important that I need to risk others safety just for my own gain? I would like to think I am not that important.
So how come others cannot get to this point with me? This is the question that no one can seemingly answer for me. I have heard plenty of excuses for why someone thinks they are more important than others; however, not once has the explanation been legitimate. So, how do we end this crisis of common sense? Unfortunately my friend I do not know the answer. It should be so simple, yet it seems to allude us at every chance. Perhaps it starts here, perhaps it starts with us, maybe just maybe we can be the change and bring back the common sense. Here is to trying!
This is how you end up All Hat, with No Cattle…