One of the things that bugs me is when people don't consider others
when they're part of a group and they enter into a group space.
Like at concerts. If it's a concert that people want to go to the all
try to get the best seat that they can imagine. Even though there's a
large group of people coming there, rush to get there early and try to
get in front and if they get there right when the doors open and then
they try to beat others to get to the front.
Buses are fun, especially especially when you're part of a group
that's riding about somewhere. But I've noticed that most people
just drop into the first seat that they come to and then everybody
else on the bus has to walk over them and pass them in order to get to
the next open seat. And if you're one of the last people getting on
the bus then you're having to walk by and bump into everybody on the
way on and it's gonna take you the longest get off the bus.
Worse, when you are on a bus and you're in a window seat and when it's
time to get off the bus many people just jump up and start getting off
the bus immediately and don't consider the second person in a row or a
seat that then has to stand there and wait for nearly all of the bus
to get off before they can get off of the bus.
Benches are funny to watch people use. In a park or in a business or
almost anywhere people will sit in the middle of the bench in an
effort to prevent anybody else from sitting down with them. I have
done that in the past, but I have tried to make an effort share
benches with people or at least leave part of the bench open and make
it obvious so that somebody should sit down with me. I had that
happen recently at an amusement park where I just wanted to sit on a
bench with my wife that was plenty big enough for somebody else to sit
there and not make it feel weird. And a woman actually sat down and
said she was tired and waiting on her kids and sat down we didn't have
to talk or anything we just enjoyed sharing a bench.
Churches are always fun about the way people fill up space. Typically
when you walk in the doors of the church worship area or sanctuary
you're walking in the back of the room. Many many people sit in the
back row so that they can get out as soon as the services over or
sneak out before it's over. Or because they don't want to get too
close. That means that everybody coming in now has to walk past you
or over you to get to any open seats. In the first two or three rows
are almost always left empty and anybody who sits up there is
automatically judged as being late and not a very good church going
person. Which is hilarious!
In my church I've made an effort to walk to the furthest point in the
room and try to sit toward the middle-of-the-row so that others can
fill in around and in front of and behind me. It frustrates my wife
to no end when I do this, but that way I don't have to walk over
people and crawl over people to get to my seat or apologize for
interrupting their worship experience when we walk in late again.
I experienced a lot of frustration on a recent trip to Israel. I was
with a group of hearing-impaired and hearing people, about
half-and-half. When in a group setting I tend to be toward the back
of the pack because that's where I feel like I can be the most help.
I watch out for others, I watch to make sure we're not leaving
anything behind, and I don't have to be in a big rush with a whole
herd of people right on my tail trying to make me go faster. That
tendency of mine led to me not having room or any ability to see when
we went to new places to visit and learn about. Very often it led to
me missing out on several of the key points of the trip. Or me not
getting to see what the tour guide was talking about until after
everybody was done looking and walked away and then I could look and
go home that's what he meant.
I try to approach it with a servant's heart and attitude but at times
my humanness comes out and I have to assert my presence and will just
sit wherever I please. Or push my way over and past everybody that's
been rude and just stopped when they walked in the door and make my
way to the empty space on the far side of whatever area that we're in.
And sometimes I give up completely and don't even try and just go
outside once I see that there is no way for me to get to the empty
space without having to be extremely rude and interrupt everybody
since the show or the tour or the explanation has already started and
been underway for a couple of minutes.
Sometimes I wish I was wired differently. But I'm not!
