Give me (and you) a break...

I've had a couple of experiences lately that have been rather frustrating. It seems that there are many many people in the world who expect everyone around them to accept their weaknesses (or ignore them maybe) but that are not willing to do the same for others.

Why are we so hard on each other? I was reading an article on LDS.ORG that was about strengthening marriages, but the point can be applied in any relationship no matter how minor. I don't think most people go around with the intent of hurting others. Most hurt feelings occur from misunderstandings. If we choose to assume the best in people and talk out problems if they arise instead of choosing to be offended and hurt, life would be a lot less complicated.

Christmas is a nice time of year because so many people are a little kinder. At costco a couple of days ago, I was rounding a corner with my huge costco-sized cart and nearly crashed into a grandfatherly sort of man. I apologized because it seemed like the polite thing to do, and this man looked surprised and said that there was nothing to be sorry for, and gave me a big smile. How hard was that? Not very.

On a somewhat-not-very related note, I ran across this post in a local blog A Liberal Mormon. It seems like a group of people who believe the teachings of Christ (be kind, help those around you, etc...) would be a group that could really do some good, but they choose to be confrontational and their goals seem so misdirected. Apparently the former leader of the group, Reverend Joel Hunter, has resigned because he felt that poverty, aids, and global warming should be added to the group's issues. There's a nice quote from him: My position is, unless we are caring as much for the vulnerable outside the womb as inside the womb, we’re not carrying out the full message of Jesus.

Some people choose to be offended easily, and some people choose to distort perfectly good messages of love and kindness. If only everyone had parents like mine, people would be a lot less crazy. Of course, it's not really my place to say who is crazy and who is not, is it...