The U-Turn Experience

It was a suggestion, that upon thinking about it, I remain convinced was physically impossible and slightly dangerous to my health. Well, that’s the tail end of the story – what happened that caused someone to make such a suggestion to a nice bloke like me?

My family believe that I am extremely navigationally challenged whilst driving – something I strenuously deny and I don’t think this flaw on my part caused the incident. I was executing a U-Turn and apparently the lady in the car behind me didn’t think I should have been doing so. So down came her car window and a torrent of abuse was hurled my way. Her delay, even if I was doing the wrong thing, was no more than 20 seconds. Yet her reaction was unbelievable.

This morning on the radio two politicians on opposite sides of the political fence hurled personal abuse at each other until I changed stations sickened by what I was hearing.

Now believe me I am no gilded lily – yet is it me or is there an increase in people treating each other badly? What used to be a shrug of the shoulders for somebody attempting a U-Turn even in the wrong place is now reason for a torrent of abuse. Can a debate between politicians be held without resorting to personal attacks?

Jim Wallis from Sojourners is so concerned at the level of abuse between political leaders that he proposed a charter for civility. Have we really got to this?

Without leadership from the majority of those in political office on this issue – let a revolution of niceness rise up from the grass roots – that’s you and me.

Instead of abuse be civil, replace insults with politeness, substitute reaction with courtesy, exchange rudeness with encouragement or just turn the other cheek.

I have always discovered that more is accomplished through kindness than abuse and rudeness. So let’s all give niceness a go – who knows it may catch on!