Mind Your Own Business!

Tonight I'm wondering just how often a younger, more arrogant John managed to look like a real jerk by offering an opinion that was neither requested nor welcome on a subject that he knew little about.

 I see that happening fairly often--in the work place, at social gatherings, even church groups. It seems that some people always feel the need to appear to have some special insight about matters that don't concern them and they are completely ignorant about.

Is it just something about youth and immaturity that causes us to want to appear to be more knowledgeable than we are? It embarrasses me to think of times that a person must have been thinking, "What an ass!" as I was the one butting in on a conversation where I had no business being involved. 

It's not often that I appreciate the aging/maturing that I am experiencing, but I'm glad that I'm less embarrassed by ignorance and more willing to say that I don't know anything about something rather than talking out of my butt and just rambling on to hear my own voice. It seems that the less people know, the louder and more belligerent they are about their misguided opinions. 

I'm appalled at the lack of simple courtesy in our society today. I'd call it "common" courtesy, but unfortunately it's become an uncommon way of treating one another. Have we become so narcissistic that we completely disregard the impact that our words and actions have on others? Do we think that it is okay to be a jerk because that's just the way we are?

I wonder if I owe them their time to be the immature jerk that I once was; or should I save them some future embarrassment and gently tell them that they need to mind their own business? 

Maybe their maturing process is none of my business. In all likelihood, they're just repeating the behavior that has been modeled for them by our professional politicians and outrageous news media.

In any case, I'm becoming more curmudgeonly about bad manners and poor behavior. Some days I really want to call on "Ugly John" and set some people straight. Fortunately for everyone, "Ugly John" has been banished to a far away place.

The kind curmudgeon,

John <><