ontheedgeofeverything

It seems to me as though people in general are excessively miserable as of late. As human beings we are all a little bit miserable from time to time, but recently, it is almost as though all of us had someone shit in our morning coffee.

Considering the current circumstances we are finding ourselves in, I suppose, in a way, it makes sense that we, collectively, are being nastier than usual. Emotions and tensions are running at an all-time high thanks to COVID-19, and now that we are facing another lockdown here in Ontario starting Boxing Day, there has been more fuel added to the angry fire.

I’ve noticed while out and about in public places that a lot of us are quick to react and express our frustrations with COVID. And, while being open about how we are feeling isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it becomes problematic when we begin to project our frustrations onto those that have absolutely zero relevance to the situation at hand, which is what I have been seeing happening. Like service and retail workers, for instance.

Taking into consideration the time of year, I’m asking everyone to be a little more mindful of our words before we choose to open our mouths. While an explosive reaction might seem like an appropriate option in the heat of the moment, I can almost guarantee that the cashier at Tim Hortons you ripped a new asshole for adding three creams to your coffee instead of two will disagree. They aren’t your punching bag, and whatever you are personally upset with should not be taken out on them.

In such a violent, dark, and confusing world, we have never needed kindness and light more than ever before. We have each other, and we would benefit from reminding ourselves that words cannot be unspoken after they’re said aloud.

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