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| July 20, 2006 |
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For many years now I have noticed that drivers have lost respect for the right of way of pedestrians. I‘ve had many close calls with cars myself and I am an able bodied adult. It appears that driver aggression, as studies report, is continuing to increase. I think it is ultimately a case of values, misplaced values in our society that have bred this dangerous dilemma facing all pedestrians, but especially our most vulnerable walkers.
Speed and living life at an accelerated rate are the values of today’s society. We are also filling our lives with too many distractions. The use of cell phones while driving has increased dramatically and in correlation, so have accidents.
However, the thing that disturbs me the most about the driving abuses in crosswalks is the lack of respect I see among individuals. Why are we not respecting each other? Why don’t we respect the basic human right of safety? Why are we not considering that “other life” in a way that molds and affects our behavior?
Violence in all forms of entertainment continues to increase; movies, television, computer games, etc. Many families no longer attend any organized religious services and fail to talk about spiritual values and how they are connected to moral values. Manners and chivalry are in decline. It amazes me how often I go to a store and I am not thanked by the employee after making a purchase.
And the rapid increase in technology has bred an impatient society that is intolerant of waiting. Speed is everything in technology, but sadly, the dark side of this is that we are becoming a culture of attention deficit individuals. Patience may be a virtue, but there is a real absence of it in a culture that values efficiency over human beings and relationships.
We all need to slow down, to look and pay attention to those sacred souls in crosswalks, but we also need a rigorous examination of our values and how they are manifested in our daily behavior.
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