I’ve found myself surrounded lately by a lot of loud folk behaving very badly. I’m sure that my overwork and exhaustion is helping to attract these people to me, but regardless of my responsibility, the world certainly seems full of self-absorbed louts.

I really don’t want to be cynical, but it seems that many  people have come to believe that it’s “them against the world.”  Of course, the truth is that “we’re all in this together” and the more we work together and cooperate, the better all of our lives will be.

But you won’t get this message from the latest reality show.  The fabulous star of the “Housewives of Bad  Behavior County” appears to be getting ahead by stepping on her friends and stabbing any back in her way.  This could all be in the editing, but it’s not a very encouraging message.

The advent of cell phones has also tended to pull people into their own personal bubble.  Society’s normal progression of creating rules of behavior and decorum just can’t keep up with the changes in today’s frantically paced world.  So we end up in scuffles with texters in movie theaters and sitting in silent dinners with someone who finds their friends’ texts more interesting than our company.

I can attest that when I’m on my phone, I tend to forget where I am and who’s around me.  Of course, this is the huge danger of using the phone while driving.  We’re inherently less aware, if in fact “not present” at all in what we’re doing.

Some might say that our individual pain in today’s world pushes us to find this escape, to remove ourselves from the reality that is our own lives.  But this is not a successful or joyful way to spend our brief time in this existence.  Perhaps we all need to stop and re-read “The Power of Now” and remember why THIS MOMENT is truly the only one we have.

So if I’m in a place I love and those around me are acting like jerks, what’s a beautiful person to do?  My own enjoyment and happiness seems to be jeopardized by someone else who is only thinking of themselves.  But if I’m in a line in a theme park, or in any situation around others, it can’t ONLY be about me.  I’m in an experience with MANY other people, and my behavior and attitude is having an impact on everyone around me at that very moment.

I tend to only speak up if my enjoyment simply cannot be continued because of their behavior…or they seem unlikely to stop.  (I suggest a “counting to 10…)  But I’ll also speak up if I feel that someone’s behavior is going to hurt someone else or cause damage to some property that I love or that is valuable.  This does not always end up with a pleasant outcome, because we all know that someone who is unaware and feeling entitled is not likely to appreciate being called out for this behavior.  Then it’s my job to remain the adult, be as kind as possible, and not let it ruin my day.

Thank goodness for a frosty mug of butterbeer and a friendly bartender to lighten the mood!  Now let’s all get out of our head, out of our personal bubble, and realize that we’re all in this together.  Life works better when we work together, cooperate, and stay aware of our real place in the world.