With the recent school shootings so fresh in our minds, and the War in Iraq claiming more lives than were lost in the NYC Tower collapses you may wonder why I'm writing about so small a thing as courtesy. It's mostly because I firmly believe that it's the loss of small things, like courtesy, that have enabled the larger things to seem less appalling. Would the Columbine School shooters have still been motivated to take their classmates lives had they not been treated as they had been at school? I was brought up that the Golden Rule well, rules. "treat others as you yourself would like to be treated". AT ALL TIMES. Is that really such a difficult concept? Why is it that common culture permits and even condones the opposite. Just some casual observances:

I've already mentioned how walking out into the parking lot from most stores is a life threatening procedure. Cars usually no longer stop for people pushing carts regardless of whether the carts are loaded or not, and regardless of the proximity of children. When did pedestrians loose the right - of - way? When did finding a parking space quickly become more important than others' safety? And as an aside, if one waits for the shoppers to load and leave it opens up additional spaces. So why such a hurry?

Last week at THE major SUPER discount store my wife and young daughter were in the "20 or less" line behind a very elderly lady who was checking out her few items of toiletries and household goods. Upon totalling the purchase, the lady handed the cashier what she had in her purse for the expenditures, and was rudely told that she didn't have enough money and needed to put something back. Of course it was already all bagged at this point. The poor woman was unsure of what was needed and tried to ask the clerk, but again was rudely told she needed to put something back. No attempt was made by the clerk to review the purchases with the woman to see what she might be able to do without, either on the receipt or in the bag. The total was just over $35.00 so there really couldn't have been too many items. She was just told that she was short and to put something back. By this time the line had grown to 4-5 shoppers behind the woman, and some of them were loudly complaining about how long it was taking, adding to the lady's confusion and general mental state. She began shaking and trying to understand what the clerk was telling her, but the louder and more adamant the clerk got, the more confused the lady got. With people in line behind her shoving their way around them to other lines loudly complaining, my wife stepped around the customer between her and the woman and offered to pay the difference so that the woman could get what she needed. My wife was told BY THE CLERK that she needed to mind her own business and get back in line. and that she couldn't put the shortage on her debit card since it had already been rung up as cash. When my wife asked to speak to a manager the clerk decided that well, she could put the woman's whole purchase on her debit card, and the clerk would then refund to my wife the money that the elderly woman had given her. This being done, the woman was allowed to proceed with her purchases. She then went to the front of the store, still shaking, and sat down waiting on her ride or? I'm left to wonder, though, what would've happened if my wife hadn't have been there. Yes, the elderly woman should've had a companion to assist her with her shopping, but since there was none, couldn't the clerk have taken an extra few minutes out of her busy day to help the woman see what she needed to do? Or call someone to help? It seems the world's largest retailer would have someone on staff to assist customers. At the very least give some type of training to their cashiers. Courtesy?

My last example of the vanishing art of respecting others and treating others as you'd like to be treated happened just yesterday. I was riding my scooter down our very rural road (1 1/2 lanes) to see if someone I'd talked to down the road was still interested in buying it in light of our move. It tops out at about 30 - 35 MPH which is also the speed limit on that narrow winding road. My wife was following me in our pickup when someone sped around her, half on the "shoulder" and started to cut back in before he realized I was there on a motorcycle, forcing me onto the grass. At the same time a dump truck began pulling out of a driveway about 300 yards ahead. The Passer realized what was happening and slammed on his brakes with me next to him and my wife behind him. Luckily we were still doing the 35 and not 50 - 55 like him, so we managed to get everyone over in time to miss the truck. And where was this guy going in such a hurry that he needed to go 20 MPH over the limit, pass without knowing what was ahead, and risk all of our lives? To the driveway across from where the truck pulled out. About 300 yards. Staying behind us would've taken him an extra 2-3 seconds to get home. Courtesy.