An Ounce of Kindness
Now that we are getting back out and interacting with other humans more, I think it is a good time to reflect on how we treat each other. There is nothing really dictating how we have to treat each other but it takes almost no effort to just be nice to people. At the very least, people shouldn’t be making the extra effort to be rude to people.
“An ounce of kindness always goes a lot further than an ounce of bitterness. So sprinkle it every time you can. You always can!”
-Timothy Pina
I have been having a rough time the past few days, and yesterday wasn’t an exception. I had to run some errands in the morning and decided to stop at my local Taco Bell for breakfast before I headed home. The employees at this Taco Bell are always really nice, but the lady who helped me seemed exceptionally nice yesterday. Just a few kind words were able to turn my outlook around it and put me in a much better mood.
By no means do I expect this from any retail employee like some people do. I also think that is a major problem that needs to be addressed. Both from working in retail and talking to those who work in retail, I have realized that people treat retail employees very poorly. I don’t know if it's just people having a bad day and they need a verbal punching bag, or if these people just feel entitled. Remember, retail employees are just like everyone else: a human who is working to make a living so they can buy the things they need to survive. But unlike people who work other jobs, they take time away from their family on that holiday so people are able to go to the store and buy that thing they have to have that can’t wait.
In my experience, that sense of entitlement comes mostly from the older generations. I will be talking about a lot of broad generalizations. I recognize there are people on both sides that are problematic and people on both sides that are good, this is just a trend that myself and many others I have talked to have observed.
I think that is mostly from the era of “The customer is always right,” and oh boy can I tell you the customer is almost always wrong. They seem to have this idea that the employee is working for them and has to do whatever they tell them and they can treat them however they want. If they can’t accept your coupon it's because that is the company's policy, not because they hate you in particular. The employees are not the one who sets the rules, they just have to follow them, and yelling at them will never change the rules.
This seems completely different from people that are closer to my age. We seem to be more understanding and patient with employees. I think that comes from the fact that most of us have had to work a retail job at some point in our lives. I think making everyone have to work a retail job at some point would go a long way to make the world a better place, but that is besides the point.
We are often called the “entitled” generation by those older than us. They feel it is ridiculous that we want to have affordable housing and healthcare. They call us entitled because we want everyone to be treated equally and fairly. I don’t think those are ridiculous things to feel entitled to. People want to be able to live a reasonable life without having to worry if they can cover the expenses or not. I am fortunate to not have to worry about that to the extent a lot of people in our generation do, but that also doesn’t blind me from the fact that people are struggling more and more to make ends meet.
To put the housing point into perspective, the federal minimum wage in 1970 was $2.00 and the median cost of a house was $17,000. That means, ignoring taxes and other expenses, a person could pay off a house with only 8,500 hours of work, or roughly four years of full time work. In 2021 the median price of a home is $269,000 and the federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. That means, ignoring taxes and other expenses, a person would have to work 37,103 hours, or roughly 17.8 years. Those of you familiar with how interest works will begin to realize the problem right about now.
I also recognize interest rates are much lower right now than they were in 1970 but that is a double edge sword. Lower interest rates mean borrowing is much more valuable and saving is much less valuable. This really only benefits those who are already wealthy. People who are living on minimum wage can barely afford their own house, let alone multiple homes or other assets. This also means any money that they are able to save is earning basically nothing.
If you are offended by anything above I think you should seriously consider why. There is a very real possibility that you may be part of the problem. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t something you can do. Everyone can always make an effort to be a better person. Sometimes it is hard to see the whole picture all of the time. When you recognize you are part of a broken system, you are only part of the problem if you refuse to change.
I have gotten very far off topic from what I originally wanted to talk about but I guess that is because the basic point I wanted to talk about is very simple, just be nice to people. It takes almost no effort to be nice, and most of the time it takes more effort to be rude to people. I know it’s cliché, but just treat others the way you want to be treated. Remember, how you live your life is all you have, we all end up the same in the end.
If you are enjoying the blog you can follow me on social media via the links at the top of the page. Liking/following those pages and sharing the post goes a long way to help me grow the project, so likes and shares are always appreciated. Thanks again to all those that have been supporting me through this whole journey and I hope you all enjoyed this week's post!
