Bill Koeneke (Great Britain)
I confess! One of my problems is putting up with other people—not all people, mind you—and not all the time, but I find it difficult to cope especially with the unthinking, arrogant person. And yes, I am meeting such people from time to time.
For example, I have a problem with those young mothers who propel their baby buggies at 10 mph aimed straight at me without any discernable intention of altering course! As a result I am faced with a challenge: Do I alter my course and give way, or do I invite the lady to slow down and alter her course by standing my ground? Decision-making on my part! And then there are those who walk four-abreast on a narrow pavement and likewise aimed directly at my approach with no apparent intention of giving way. So occasionally I come to a dead stop, effectively forcing them to split up and allow me through.
Where I live in the south of England, there are many elderly retirees [like me], and quite a number of them drive a battery-driven mobility scooter on the pavement. Too dangerous to drive them in the road, yet woe unto the pedestrians! And more woe when these pseudo race-track enthusiasts team up two-abreast! There have been occasional accidents where the injured party was pummelled by one of these rather heavy vehicles, ending up in hospital with a smashed foot or deep vein thrombosis in their right leg! What upsets me most, however, are bicycle riders on the pavement (where they shouldn’t be), silently zooming up from behind without bell or horn to warn me, and who are seemingly oblivious that they are about to scare the life out of my fragile body! So far I’ve managed to escape injury, but only narrowly. Rarely do any of these incidents evoke an apology.
So I have to remind myself, in view of my calling, that I need to be patient with these people and give way to prevent a nasty argument or injury. And not surprisingly, it takes a lot of patience for me to live up to this Godly responsibility.
My problem in all this is that I effectively quell the light I should be shining when I’m faced with this trinity of insolence, the “me-myself-and-I” syndrome and sometimes loud-mouthed profanity, all of which seem to prevail in our society today. So, what’s the solution for me when I experience such provocations? Blurt out something like “Hey buddy. You weren’t brought up very well!” or keep my tongue in cheek? The answer is obvious: Keep my tongue in cheek, and exercise a kindly portion of forgiveness and lots of patience. That’s the Godly way.
