"...all you're ever gonna be is mean..."

I'm not a Taylor Swift fan, but my son loves her.

However, one of her songs, which is clearly about bullying, sends a powerful message. It talks about those who are mean. Mean to her.

I'm bringing this up because I try my damnedest to be kind to everyone. I'm far from perfect, but I do know that I try to treat everyone equally. I try to be kind, and I try to be polite.

However, when I am kind and polite to someone, and they come back with something really nasty or mean, it's kind of hurtful. You put your feelings out there, and someone stomps all over them. It's not nice, it's hurtful and it's just plain fucking mean.

As I look around me, in public places, such as coffee shops, corner stores, shopping malls and even when I'm driving on the Interstate, I see such misery in people's faces. Sometimes I think that it's because everyone is so mean to each other. What I want to know is why? I know that several times per week, someone does or says something that just pisses me off. I know that I see unhappy clerks at the gross-ery store or 7-11 when I get snacks or drinks. When I see someone like that, I ask them "...hey, are you having a bad day, or are you just feeling foul today..." Normally, they look at me and say something like "...oh, I'm just tired..." or "....I had an argument with..." Then I'll try to lighten it, and make a smart-ass remark to get them to giggle or smile. Normally, it works. Sometimes, it explodes all over me like a shit-shower.

When I was a young kid, my dad used to say "...nothing nice to say, say nothing at all.." and "...do unto others as you wish them to do unto you.." - he was always like that. He had his moments where he would say nasty shit, but he would acknowledge it after the fact.

My problem - if someone is intentionally mean to me, I have a really difficult time getting past it. I'm kind of thin-skinned like that. I'm guilty of being a cock-head at times, but I try to apologize for my dumb-fuckery when it comes about.

So, how about if everyone else was like that? I wonder if we would take less pills, stress eat less, keep jobs and relationships longer and mostly, stop fucking up our kids so that they grow from little assholes into great big fucking bitches and pricks.

That is all...