A Post that's Almost as Rare as Unicorns...

**Begin Rant**

You will NEVER see me get political on this blog. Mainly because I REALLY don't care about politics. 

Why, you ask? 

Because I can't stand the childish, "I'm right, you're wrong" political mentality in this country. It doesn't matter what anyone on one side of the debate has to say about an issue. They can have all the facts in the world on their side, but everyone on the opposite end of the spectrum will immediately discount their arguments as invalid, misled, or dishonest. They don't care about who the person is, or what their background might be. If their opinions are different, they're wrong. Period. 

Honestly, I wonder if it's just time to abandon the two-party system altogether. It doesn't work anymore. All it's managed to do in the last few decades is divide our country in a way that only a major shift in thinking will ever reverse. Yeah, we'll see where that goes in the next few decades. Honestly, I'm wondering if another civil war isn't in our future. I am not one of those doomsday types, but think about it. How can the fierce tension between the political parties avoid escalating to large-scale physical violence if it isn't somehow contained? 

Sometimes it seems as though there is no common courtesy left. No one seems to care about the feelings of other people anymore. It's all about "I'll say what I wanna say, and I'll do what I wanna do and if you don't like it you can leave. It's my life!" Seriously? You honestly think that what you do doesn't affect the people around you? Your family? Your friends? Even complete strangers?

You seriously think that when you're having a bad day, and you go through a store checkout line and chew out the cashier for some minor mistake, that you haven't affected their day at all? You actually believe that when you're in a hurry, and you run that red light to save five seconds, that you're not putting yourself and everyone else around you in danger? 

Please. Get over yourself and look around for a minute. You might be surprised.

You just might see the people around you for what they are: People. Just like you. 

In essentials, everyone is exactly like you are. They all care about something--their family, their job, their health. They all have something that they're trying to get done. 

They're all just trying to get through this life in one piece, exactly like you. 

You honestly believe your problems are bigger or worse than someone else's? Who are you to determine whose pain is the most unbearable? Who are you to dismiss what someone else is going through by comparing their suffering to that of other people? How do you know what's really worse? Can't you just try to listen for one minute and be sympathetic, rather than taking the first opportunity to turn the conversation back to yourself? 

I don't really know what has inspired this rant tonight. I honestly didn't intend for things to go this way when I started typing. I guess that's the risk a blogger runs once they sit down and start writing. 

Anyway, I'm really not talking about anyone in particular with this post. But a lack of common courtesy sure seems to be the root of a lot of the problems that exist in this world. It's one of my pet peeves. If we would just stop for a minute and look around us, taking into consideration the overall well-being of the people around us BEFORE we speak, BEFORE we act, I honestly believe that we could avoid a LOT of issues. 

**End Rant**