When Did Thinking of Others Become So Hard?
I’m all about doing what makes me happy. But I am also all about being considerate.
This post was inspired by a plane ride I recently took for a work trip. I was heading home from Newark, New Jersey to New Orleans. I was in the aisle seat. A cute little girl and her mom came on the plane, found their seats and I realized they were the window and middle seats next to me. The little girl, sweet and innocent, sat looking out the window. I was relieved. There is nothing worse than sitting next to a super chatty Cathy, a sneezer, a Bloody Mary drinker (I hate the smell of tomato juice, don’t ask) or someone who did not put deodorant on.
While we finished boarding, I noticed the little girls curiosity peaked. And peaked and peaked.
Her mother, tuned her out.
Now I am not judging the mother at all; we have all been there. But there’s 100+ other people on the plane who don’t want to listen to it the whole time. And let me tell you, it was the whole time. Asking questions is one thing. But whining and screaming loudly with no attempt at simmering it down is another thing. If the mother had attempted ANYTHING, I probably would have struck up a conversation with her because we have all been there. But she was just flat out ignoring. For the duration of the 2 hour flight, the little girl made an utter mess. Again, very common. The stewardess came around asking for trash to be picked up, once more out of a total of three times, before landing.
The mother did not look up.
We were exiting the plane, and I was in utter disbelief at how someone could allow their child’s mess to remain and be someone else’s problem, after we are specifically asked to clean our space before de-boarding.
This will probably be the same woman who complains the next time she is boarding and they are running behind due to cleaning the plane. Picking up after ourselves is something that can really help save time and get the next flight on its way. I just don’t understand how people can be okay with inconveniencing others because they don’t want to deal with something, or they are so engulfed in their own activities that they ignore others around them. I thought about picking it up myself after they left, but the sardine can we were packed in made it impossible for me to remain in the row and allow them to exit. All I could think was “oh man, I hope the airline crew doesn’t think it was me that made that mess.” But I bet they would not think that someone who tried to sleep half the time could make that much of a mess.
Don’t believe it was that bad. Here it is.
I couldn’t help myself but take a picture. I was in shock. Again, this is so small compared to some things that happen. But it really made me wonder – when did we all become so inconsiderate? Why are you more important than others? Why is your time more important? Why do you expect others to clean up your messes? Literally and figuratively.
