the golden exception

yesterday, i was at the atm innocently trying to deposit a few checks and take out some cash. maybe midway through my transaction, a woman came up and got in line behind me. but not the casual im standing far enough behind that you know im not going to jump you way, no, it was definitely the i'm directly behind you and im tapping my foot impatiently so that you know im waiting type. nevertheless i kept at it, depositing another check (come on, there were only three). and the dear woman behind me (who was maybe in her late fifties) says, (sigh) "are you going to take much longer?" in the snootiest voice possible.

i almost dropped my cash.

about a million snide remarks bounced through my head: i'm sorry i didn't know there was a time limit, oh would you like to go ahead i didn't realize it was jerks first, please dont let the fact that i was here first interrupt your busy day, and many other comments that are not fit to print. and of course for a split second i debated taking as long as possible, "accidentally" pressing the wrong button so that i would indeed take much longer.

now, it was around 11 am and i was just getting back from the gym so maybe it was the endorphins that kept me from letting loose my complete fury on this silly old woman who clearly had much better things to do than to wait in line. but in any case, it got me thinking.

when did it become okay to ignore the golden rule?

in preschool didnt we all learn: "treat others as you would like to be treated"? where exactly in life did we forget that? and why did it become "treat others as needed based on your own personal wants and needs"?

the irony of my background in economics notwithstanding, can i get a little altruism up in here?

yes the woman at the atm is inconsequential. but it reminds me of the bigger issue at hand. why can't people, families, nations remember that they don't exist in a permanent party of one? sure, they can go on, stepping on whoever they need to get what they want. and for now, maybe thats fine. but someday down the line, people will realize that their selfish actions have consequences. and maybe they shouldn't have been rude to the girl at the atm, or demanded too much of their family member, or torn apart a country for a little short term gain. and beyond that, maybe they should have helped that neighbor, relative, stranger. circumstances are too fleeting to believe that dependence only flows in one direction. and when the tide changes, where will we be?

our world is small. eventually, i will be standing in line behind the woman from the atm. and she will hope that i remember what i learned in preschool.