Chill Pill

A few weeks back I moved into a new apartment. There was a long line in the office to get keys, parking passes, pay rent, etc. As I stood in line there were probably around half a dozen parents who came in livid because the apartments their kids moved into weren't perfect and they wanted them fixed that very instant. I was left wondering how they could be so oblivious to the situation. 1) It's the start of the semester so everyone is moving in and they have a million things to do. 2) One look at the employees tells you they aren't the owners, they are just college kids trying to make a few bucks. 3) A faulty light bulb or dirty bathtub is not the end of the world. These parents weren't just in there letting them know about the problems, they were angry and upset, demanding to see the managers and spouting out threats. Now I understand about making sure you get what you pay for, but you also have to be realistic. If you were shelling out a thousand dollars a month for rent then you could expect your apartment to be perfect, but we're paying 250, what do you expect?

It makes me think that, at least here in America, many of us tend to think the world revolves around us. I came across a website with a collection of dumb lawsuits from the past few years. From suing coaches because you warmed the bench all season to suing department stores because you got injured in a fight over one of their products, Americans have done it all. I think it all stems from a selfish desire to not be accountable for our actions. Combine that with the fact that we are so wrapped up in ourselves that we are blind to the situations of others, and you have the type of society we live in today. The type of society with page after page of legal documentation attempting to keep your money in your own wallet. Sometimes we might just need to take a chill pill and realize we're not the only ones with problems.