Amanda
Mahmoudi
Do unto to others as you would have done unto you.
Does anyone recall ever having heard of this infamous Golden Rule?
More important, are there any people around who still live by it?
I have always believed that tolerance and self-control will eventually win over the current evils in society. Nonetheless, injustice is a strong constant in life.
It often seems that the phrase "Justice shall prevail" belongs in a dirty joke book.
What really has the potential to irk me to the core of my inner being is that people often refuse to show the slightest form of any positive emotion.
For example, I noticed that a lady had been waiting an awfully long time to make a turn onto the feeder road to the Southwest Freeway. Being a devout believer in empathy, I was inclined to stop and give way.
But did she show any remote form of gratitude whatsoever? No! It was no big deal for her - even though it was bloody rush hour!
Basically, it was as if I had really owed her something instead of having done a good deed.
At first, I was so angry. I felt as though showing kindness of any sort had somehow lost its novelty.
But since when has kindness ever been a novelty?
The small encounter made me question my own motives. Did I merely let her go to bask in the recognition of my goodwill? Or did I really just want to do something nice?
This is when things really start to turn for the worse. Once one begins to doubt one's own reasons for being nice and the benefits of such a disposition, one will invariably be inclined to choose a different path.
Small things like the situation I just described can really add up.
Sad, but true. What is the use of being nice if there is no respect involved?
There are times when I am convinced that things can only change for the better, especially if parents take the initiative by teaching their children early on to be considerate.
The earlier you plant the seed, the sooner the flower will bloom.
So why did a wild banshee in a toddler's body attack me while waiting in line at the grocery store?
The small beast burst a vein in my foot. My ankle now resembles Grumpy Smurf on a really bad day.
Was there any sort of acknowledgment from either parental unit governing this most obviously bad seed? No, of course not. The pain did not matter to them at all, because they were not honored with experience.
Pain is pain, pure and simple. The more pain I feel, the more aggressive I become. God help the next person who crosses me.
Is this what is to become of me?
Mahmoudi, a junior German and French major, plans to avoid mutants for the time being. Send comments to amahmoud@bayou.uh.edu.