Age of Contempt

Arthur Brooks, president of the American Enterprise Institute, recently commented that Americans don’t have an anger problem with one another as much as having contempt for one another. We see it in politics, but do we really have contempt for one another in our daily life? 

That troubles me.




Then I saw it happen. I was on the bus heading to the Seattle ferry. My fellow passengers included a business man with a briefcase, a couple about my age with large suitcases, presumably on their way to the airport for a vacation getaway, and a teen boy. Halfway there, the boy, who’d chosen the back seat, lit a cigarette. 

The smell quickly wafted through the air. The bus driver asked over the intercom if that was cigarette smoke he smelled. He pulled over.

The driver walked down the aisle to the source of the smoke, and sternly, but calmly asked the boy if he’d been smoking. “No Sir.” the boy lied, but responded respectfully. The older man sitting nearby, grumbled loud enough for all to hear, "Yeah, right."

The driver adamantly told the boy that it was against state and federal  law to smoke on the bus and that he wouldn’t kick him off forty miles from his destination, but he wouldn’t be able to come back on the bus. With that, the driver returned to his seat and continued on. 

Apparently unsatisfied with the bus driver’s approach to this situation, the older man looked back at the boy and called him a "f....... idiot ". The boy responded with similar expletives and then the man unleashed on him, finishing by telling the teen that he was a complete loser. 

Now I know what Arthur Brooks meant. The driver had a reason to be angry. But he showed no contempt. However, the older passenger, who had no reason to get involved, chose words that would make the boy feel bad about who he was. His words cut and I’m sure they went deep. Even though the boy put on a tough act, he’s still a boy inside.

            So maybe we do have a problem with contempt. And in many ways it’s worse than anger, for contemptuous words are designed to inflict lasting wounds that leave scars. 

           
When we arrived at our destination, and the vacationing couple had walked towards the ferry, I waited for the boy to disembark. I smiled and asked him if he was stranded without a bus ride home.

Wary of another potentially abusive adult, he shook his head no. “Are you sure?” I asked quietly. He looked me in the eyes and said he’d call his uncle. I smiled and said I hoped he’d be okay. I said it like I meant it. 

What I hope is that he knows some people really do care. Wouldn’t it be nice if kindness ruled again?

Photo credits from Unsplash.com in order of use: Andre Hunter, Amritanshu Sikdar, Alexander Croussette, Morgan Basham, Warren Wong

Popular posts from this blog

Counting the Cost

Image
Something big is missing in this photo. Let me explain. Here in my hometown, the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe prepared a parcel of land for a new hotel. Plenty of planning and architectural designs were evaluated. A gemstone of a hotel would be built across from the waterfront—a beautiful, restful place welcoming travelers. A true four-star facility.   They cleared the aging brick structures that had been fading away between Front Street and Railroad Avenue. Then the pandemic hit, shortages of labor and supplies, add in the costly inflation that followed. Everything stopped.   But this is what I admire about the Elwha Tribe: they have counted the cost. They didn’t want to move forward and take on tremendous debt. They would rather move slowly and be financially ready, rather than begin building and then letting it sit unfinished.   Counting the cost is something I should have done earlier in life when I didn’t know what high interest rates would do to our farming cost...
Read more

Summertime Music

Image
During the summer months, in an outside seating area, a delightfully painted piano sits with a sign that says, “Play me”.   It was just before 8 pm as I walked past the piano. My bus would be arriving soon, and I still have another ten minutes to walk before reaching my bus stop. But no one is around. It’s a beautiful warm evening. I pulled out the piano bench and sat down. The sun was behind me, and the piano keys reflected its glow. I had no music in front of me, only the songs within me. Notes drifted into the air.  In those brief moments, the magic of music and summer came together. Isn’t that how it is? Summertime music has a way of lingering in our minds and lasting a lifetime. As I stood and grabbed my things, I heard distant clapping—I guess I wasn’t alone, after all.
Read more

Planting Good Seeds

Image
Harvest will always depend on what we plant and how well we care for our crop.    Looking over my seed packets, I notice they’re different than the ones I planted before. One package is called Word seeds. The directions say that each of my words is a seed, so it cautions me to think before I speak. Harsh words don’t produce sweet, nourishing fruit. These seeds will require thoughtful care in the garden. I see some Volunteer seeds. Those extra hours I tend to fritter away are going to be planted in a useful project.   It looks like time isn’t wasted in this garden plot. Next are some Love seeds—the directions are interesting: get up each day and love others. No specifics are given—just do something for someone every day. The seed package shows pictures of smiling faces. I smile back. As I’m ready to head to the garden with my seeds, a package falls to the ground. I open it. Inside are the tiniest seeds I’ve ever seen—but the directions s...
Read more