Friday, January 6, 2012

To Be a Dick, or Not to Be a Dick? That is the Choice

Today I was walking around the neighborhood and as I was coming to an intersection, I noticed that this young kid driving just ran right through the stop sign only slowing enough to make his turn. 
This was interesting to me. 
Why do people think they don't have to obey traffic laws or ANY laws for that matter, if no one is around?
This also got me thinking about the girl who used to live next door to me.  She used to sit in front of my apartment and smoke cigarettes, blowing the smoke directly into my air conditioning unit and subsequently into my apartment.  My place would reek of smoke.
One day I decided I had had enough when the smell woke me from my slumber. 
I stepped outside and asked her nicely if she wouldn't mind standing when she smoked because when she sat her smoke was being sucked into my A/C unit and going into my place.  I said I understood that she did not want her place to smell like smoke but that I didn't smoke so mine surely should not smell like smoke.
So here is the point where my neighbor got to choose: should I be a courteous neighbor or should I be a dick?
Well, once her boyfriend got involved I guess they chose to be dicks.
Why? Why would one choose to be a dick when they also had the choice to be cool?
Of course once I reminded them that the circuit breaker box was in my apartment and I could cut their electricity off at any time, well then they decided to be cool and smoke in the stairwell.
Should it have come to that?
No.  It should not have.
We all have a choice every time we make a choice.
Should I stop for that stop sign or should I be a dick?
Should I be courteous to my neighbors or should I be a dick?
If we all chose to be the cool person how awesome would that be?
A few signs that you may be making the choice to be a dick:
- you don't obey traffic laws when no one else is around
- you are on your cell phone while in a shopping check out line
- you are talking during a live music performance or movie
- you arrive late for appointments and committments you have scheduled
- you are always at odds with your neighbor or co-workers
I could go on and on but you get where I'm going with this
and if you don't, you're probably a dick.
How about as a New Year's resolution we all try to be a little more cool and a little less dick?
Deal?