Oy, Vey

You're probably wondering what I'm talking about, saying "Oh, Woe" at the very title. Or, maybe you don't even know what "Oy, Vey" means. If you fall into either of those categories, then fear not. Your question has either just been answered or will be shortly.

The reason that the title is so gloomy is this-present the bad news first. Well, now that you are in the mood (hopefully) for the bad stuff first, then here it is.

Has anyone else noticed what terrible, little scoundrels so many people are? They have no respect for anyone. They are so selfish that it oozes out of their pores through their Bath &Body Works lotions that they can't afford and paid for with stolen money from their senile grandmother's bank account.
Here is a list of things, to kind of break it down. This is mostly to help me organise my thoughts a little, and to get this into your head in an orderly way.

Cell Phones
When you are trying to talk to someone, do they say "Oh, I'm vibrating!" and suddenly whip out a cell phone, begin texting or just "Google" something when you are in the middle of a sentence? Have you ever done this to someone? This is the epitome of rudeness in a conversation. This just says to whoever you are talking to- "Yeah, that's nice, what you're saying, but this is more important." You can wait to answer your cell, unless it is an emergency.

School
Teachers let students get away with pretty much everything. At the local high school, two kids were caught in the bathroom doing some "naughty" things and neither was punished. Students are allowed to eat in class, and favouritism is at its peak. There are "preppy" kids who can get away with anything. They do not do their work, and still receive "A"s on everything they didn't do, while students who work hard get "D"s and "F"s.

Responsibilities
No one under the age of thirty that I have met seems to have any sense of responsibility, charity, or generosity whatsoever. They are like "grown-up" children who neglect to do what they ought simply because it is "hard" or they don't want to. (Insert whiny, unintelligible phrase.)

It seems as if adolescence extends into a person's mid-thirties to forties. Grow up, already! I am not even twenty yet and am more mature, responsible, generous, and accountable than a lot of adults I know. It is RIDICULOUS!!!

What can we do?
First of all, try and teach any kids you have contact with to be accountable for their actions. Teach your own kids this, as well.
(I know, "You probably don't even have any kids." Well, I took care of my younger sisters for three years, so I'd say that counts for something.)
-Make sure YOU are acting as you should, as well. Try and help people out when you can, and if something is your fault, then own up to it.
-Practise good etiquette in conversation. Don't answer your cell in the middle of a conversation. Check the Caller I.D. and, unless it is important, let them leave a message, and call back later. Also, don't use text talk in writing or in speech. More people than you would expect do not understand this and will find it very off-putting and hard to interpret.
-Don't pick favourites. Yes, life isn't fair, but you should try to be as fair as can be. Don't discriminate due to race, social status/class, religion, etc.
-Try not to neglect your responsibilities as a citizen/parent/spouse/teacher (etc.) and do what each of your roles require of you to the best of your abilities. Try to treat your kids, spouse, students, neighbours, etc. well, and put yourself in their shoes. Try to relate to them. This will help you in deciding how you want to treat them. Think of what it felt like when you were in their shoes, or what it would be like. This will help with your compassion and a lot more.

Don't be discouraged by this article. I have tried to end it on a good note. Just do what's right (Or try to; we all make mistakes.). Keep hoping for tomorrow and try to do things to make others' lives a bit easier. :)

Love Thy Neighbour

Hey. So you've seen the title.
Well, it shouldn't be that hard a thing to do, right?
Wrong.
For some reason, this is a VERY hard thing for VERY many people to do. It's probably because they're doing it for the wrong reason. Many people are only nice to others because of how it makes them look. They want everyone to see them as a nice person, a friendly do-gooder. Or, they think that being nice to someone will get them some kind of reward. Well, the real reason to treat people as our equals, and with respect, is the act itself. Not what you will get out of it or what people will think of you. Be nice just for the sake of being nice and you'll feel a little nicer, too.
Now, time to discuss just WHO to be nice to.
EVERYONE!
Don't pick and choose who to treat as a fellow human being. Be nice to all people; take no notice of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, etc. Be nice to everyone. That's what I've been doing, and, after a while, you don't even have to try. It's actually pretty fun.