A Recent Encounter, Part 3

     And here's what I noticed.  I noticed that something flickered in his eyes the minute I called him "sir."  I could have been nasty or rude or called him an ignorant, inconsiderate dolt, but I didn't (which rather surprised me).

     Instead, I called him toward his better self by calling him "sir."  By showing that respect, even for a moment, reminded him that even though he was being an inconsiderate dolt, he was still worthy of respect as a human being.  And that caused him to turn the radio down.  A little.

     So, maybe this has applications for our world with all its anger and rancor and fighting and rudeness.  Rather than groveling in the dirt, playing tit for tat for every perceived trespass, let's try taking the high road and reminding ourselves that even the most inconsiderate dolts deserve to be treated as humans.  Let's treat each other with respect.  Let's call each other to our better selves.  Let's show the way toward peace.

(image courtesy of pixabay.com)