The Dark Age

People, in general, suck. I came to this conclusion some time ago and am regularly reminded of it.

Take the other day for example. In a rare excursion into society, I was returning from a Christmas shopping trip with my friend Paul. We had got into Paul’s car and were just sorting out the shopping when there was a knock on the window. Paul opened the door to find a woman, clutching a baby, asking if we were leaving. This was not an unreasonable request, although knocking was a little impertinent, and we informed the woman that yes, we were about to leave. The door was shut and the woman backed off a little to where her husband was waiting in their car. It quickly became apparent that the windscreen was misted over and we would have to wait a few minutes for it to clear. Paul, demonstrating the qualities I look for in a friend, kindly opening the door to inform the woman that we would be a short while due to this issue. Shortly after the door was shut the knock came again and the woman said that people are waiting and we should hurry up. The nerve!

I realise that a little rudeness is hardly the world’s greatest crime but this sort of thing really irritates me. There is never a need to be rude or angry at someone. We are human beings and have evolved into creatures who can discuss things reasonably without the need for blunt words. Sometimes I wonder if some individuals are lower down the evolutionary scale than others.

When did society lose its common courtesies? One hundred years ago, in 1914 we were civil and polite to each other. Fifty years ago, 1964 and I think the same could still be said. Twenty years ago, 1994 and by this time things have begun to change. I fear that technology has a lot to do with this.

Now I’m all for technology, often on social networks and generally enjoying the benefits of the digital age. But when I am sat in a room and realise that everyone is interacting with a screen rather than those around them I am deeply saddened. If you walk down the street passers-by will now barely notice you around the screen they must so desperately look at whereas in times gone by they would probably have given you a pleasant greeting. Technology is destroying our awareness of other people and so often social networks can actually prevent us from being social.

This lack of awareness of other people brings me onto one of my pet hates. This is when someone stops in the middle of the pavement or in a shop, completely unaware that they are completely in the way. I think that many would consider ignoring someone perhaps the rudest thing you can do and these people are doing just that. They are so wrapped up in their own little world, often their phone but not always, that they utterly ignore those around them. I decided some time ago that it should be entirely legal to Taser these people so that they can learn their lesson, and at the very least be considerably less in the way.

I deeply wish that we could once again find that polite, friendly way of life we once had. I sometimes feel like a Victorian, trapped out of time in an age that is unrecognisable. I worry about the future, dreading what the world will be like in twenty years time when the need to actually talk to each other diminishes even further. The world is becoming more like something a dystopian author would dream up than ever.

There is, however, hope. I know that there are still plenty of people out there who think the way I do. Hopefully as someone reading this you are one such person. And in a sort of fourth wall breaking moment, I am speaking directly to you now. I urge you to fly the flag for old fashioned good manners, to try and have a conversation without there being a screen in the middle, to be a champion for humanity. Perhaps, together, we can at least begin to improve things, to create a society that truly cares about each other and to fulfil our potential and truly be the superior species.

Blimey, that was deep. It sometimes amazes me one comes out of this brain of mine. Anyway, bear that in mind and come back soon for my next post, where I discuss bullying and say some things I’ve always wanted to say…