Even in the worst of times some levity can be found.
One of the amusing memes circulating around social media is a still from the movie Back to the Future. Dr. Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd) is sitting in the Delorean time machine he built explaining it to Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox).
The caption reads: “Rule number 1, Marty, is never set it for 2020.”
It is unnecessary to list all the calamity that has befallen the world this year, but suffice it to say, it has been a challenging one so far.
Several watchwords have come out of it.
Be calm.
Be kind.
Stay safe.
The Interior News would like to offer another.
Be patient.
In times of stress, in the most minor irritants can be amplified.
The person walking the wrong way down the aisle at the grocery store. The driver who doesn’t realize the light has changed. The intersection blocked by cones to protect the wet paint of the new lines. The lineup at your favourite restaurant.
Annoyance turns to anger. Anger turns to unnecessary action.
Just as one example. In several B.C. towns recently, people with Alberta licence plates have had their vehicles keyed. Nevermind that these were B.C. residents who, for whatever reason, had not switched over their plates.
We should try to remember that things are going to remain inconvenient for some time and everybody is learning to navigate the new reality we find ourselves in over which we have very little control.
Most of the time, the person or thing causing the irritation is only a small part of the problem. Ninety per cent (to pick an arbitrary large number) of the problem is our own reaction, over which we do have control.
If it is another person, most of the time, they don’t even know they are creating a problem for you and they are almost certainly not trying to get on our nerves.
Getting angry about minor inconveniences doesn’t do anybody any good, most of all yourself.
It’s not worth it.