The Greatest Generation

"I gotta be honest with you...old people are getting mean."

This was said to me today by a man who was easily 70 years old,  maybe more like 80.  He was a wise man, and sadly, he had a point.

Abby and I were selling Girl Scout cookies in front of the local grocery store this morning from 8 am to noon.  For the first hour, there were 2 Girl Scouts there, Abby and another friend.  When people were entering the store, they cheerfully said "Good Morning" and when people were exiting the store, they would say "Would you like to buy Girl Scout cookies?"  I witnessed MANY adults avoid eye contact with them and many times, ignore them altogether.   Our girls have been instructed over the years to say "Thank you." to any answer they get, whether it be "I already bought from my niece" to "I can't eat sugar."  Our rule of "Always Say Thank You" has gotten us many sales, when the girls say "Thank You", I have seen many people double back and buy a box or two after all.  And a simple "No thank you." should not be hard for any adult with manners in the first place.

I guess the reason I am sharing this is because, frankly, I am tired of hearing about how teenagers are disrespectful and out of control.  Today, 6 girls in Girl scout uniforms spent 4 hours being respectful, using manners and being good role models for younger children.  And in return, I saw eyes rolling, people looking frantically at their phones and I even saw one woman stop at the door, back up and walk to another exit where no girls were.  And NONE of this bad behavior was from the teenagers.  In fact, a good bit of it came from senior citizens and older shoppers.

Abby looked at me quizzically when some older shoppers ignored her, and I walked over and quietly explained that perhaps the people didn't hear her.  So she got louder, but not abrasively so.  I knew, however, that I was lying to Abby.  I observed as many older people completely refused to acknowledge the children.

And then here he came, my personal Yoda, the man I mentioned at the beginning of this piece.  He was asking if we would be selling next week, since that was his pay weekend.  He asked how sales were and I told him we were doing great.  He admired how nice the girls were, and I casually mentioned that I wished the customers would be as nice as my girls are.  He said "People are rotten anymore.  I gotta be honest....old people are getting mean."  We laughed and I sadly told him I must agree with him.

So why is this happening?  Do we get jaded as adults, and the longer we live, the more jaded we become?  Is there just an age when you can stop being courteous to people and it will be socially acceptable to be mean?

I think, looking back at the day, instead of heeding the advice of "Respect your elders", I shall remind myself to "Respect everyone."

I hope it's contagious.

Thank you to those who supported the Girl Scout cookie sale this year, in every state and with any troop.  And to those who didn't, you still get a smile and a "Thank you" from me.