Variation on a Rant

You’re probably like me, huh? The holiday season puts you on edge, in terms of dealing with the masses in public places: the post office, the mall, Starbucks, AT&T store, Wal-Mart, etc. Everyone and their dog is out and about, clawing for this, barking for that, jockeying for position, ignoring queues at the store and just cutting through to the checkout counter. Yes, the very time we’re wishing peace on earth and goodwill toward men, my faith in humanity falters. Outside their respective nuclear families, and perhaps grandparents and a few cousins besides, these people that you see running around don’t give the proverbial rat’s ass for anyone else. I’m no different, but I don’t pay lip service to platitudes about good cheer and the goodness of humanity during the holiday season.

Apart from the quaint social smile that is obligatory for civil people in public places, courtesy and kindness are rare. I know what you’re thinking. When shoppers block your way or drivers get on your ass as you're trying to negotiate ice on the road, you just want to rip out their entrails, as if you’re a zombie exacting some weird form of divine justice; only instead of eating their brains, you chomp on their genitalia like a chimpanzee who’s seized an invading chimpanzee. I totally know what you mean! I feel the same way. Evidently, two great minds think alike.

Don’t get me wrong. I love my fellow man, so long as he stays at arm’s length. Would that altruism, self-sacrifice, and a genuine concern for the plight of others less fortunate were more than fodder for Bible stories and moral fables! But if you think we indeed live in such a fantastical world, apart from a few individuals who’ve dedicated their lives to humanitarian work, then, to quote Judas Priest, “you’ve got another thing coming!”