Most of us will never be in a position of
having literally to dodge a real bullet. Normal urban life, with its dangerous
drivers and large crowds, all heading in the same direction as we are, are
usually the most perilous part of our days physically.
Emotionally however, I find life is more of
a potential minefield than it ever was. Not only do I see and hear more raised
voices and shouting but also the tolerance of other people seems to be reaching
a very low level.
It seems almost anything can be the ‘tipping
point’ for upset, argument and probably, at the very least, hurt feelings.
With pettiness, gossip, trivia and shopping
consuming our time and interest, perhaps it is only fitting that short
attention spans and short fuses have come together and brought us to a quick
boil.
Yesterday a man in a local coffee shop
exploded at the serving people because he felt that someone else was getting
their drink before him. His reaction was explosive and loud and full of
swearing.
For me, other than relating to comedy,
raised voices should indicate that something very terrible has occurred.
However, in the past week, twice in coffee
shops, seriously upset shouting and tirades happened around and/or in one case, most unexpectedly was actually directed at me.
Maybe the culprit is the Coffee Shop. I
sure hope not because they are ubiquitous and on almost every corner in
Toronto.
Considering that most of us probably can’t
afford to go to bars, or don’t want to, perhaps someday soon someone will go ‘postal’
in a coffee shop in Toronto.
Let’s hope that as the weather cools down,
people will also calm down, if only because the alternative may be having a
Stroke.
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