Picking up my son at his elementary school made me crazy. I would pass the moms parked in front of signs that clearly read, “No Parking, Standing or Stopping.” Then the line would be held up by parents who blatantly disregarded the procedures and encouraged their children to run through parked cars into traffic. These elementary school children then got into the front passenger seats, which is not only against the law but could be lethal if an airbag deployed. Meanwhile, their parents chat away on their cell phones, another violation of the rules. Finally, I watched cars pull away from the line without any regard to the through traffic moving next to them. Fortunately, I have not witnessed any accidents, but I have seen too many near misses.
Why do people behave as if the rules do not apply to them? And what lesson are they teaching their children? These kids are not blind or dumb. They know mom or dad is breaking the rules. I can see the results in the high school.
Of course this behavior is not confined to the pick up line at my son’s school. We see this all the time. From able-bodied people using handicapped parking spaces to patrons on cell phones in movie theaters and smokers who use the entire world as their ashtrays. The idea that rules and laws are optional is everywhere.
Are these rules optional? Most of these transgressions are minor and the perpetrators (if that is not too strong of a word) do not receive any penalties. They don’t seem to feel any guilt either. That doesn’t mean that these actions are okay.
I do not believe in blinding following rules. But I do not believe in blindly disregarding them either. We live in a society that is held together by the rule of law. If a law is unjust or ill conceived, there are means by which we can address that. But I don’t think the moms who are violating the “No Parking, Stopping or Standing” law are committing acts of civil disobedience.
Most of these misbehaviors are unconscious and thoughtless. If you are talking on your cell phone, you will not be focused on your child’s safety nor will you be likely to make good decisions. Yet I can’t let everyone off the hook so easily. While the person who cuts in line may not have realized that the line started on the other side, many times the act was deliberate. The meaning is clear: my needs are more important than yours. It is old-fashioned selfishness.
And what need is it that drives (pun intended) much of this: convenience. Following the rules requires some thought. Following the rules often takes a few more minutes. Following the rules means slowing down enough to consider the needs of the others. People are in a hurry and want to make tasks faster and easier and the rules are in the way. And they don’t want to work that hard anyway.
I want to ask these pick up parents, “Is that who you want to be? Is that who you want your children to become?” There is a price to be paid for these choices. Sometimes we pay that price and sometimes others do. Is it fair that you speed through while making someone else wait? Is it better to get something done easier at the cost of safety? Little deals add up to big deals and, to rephrase a proverb, the road to hell may be paved with thoughtless and selfish shortcuts.
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