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[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by Moonliner

And, No. I’m not fixated on lines at grocery stores. I was just giving an example most people could relate to in order to make my point. I could as easily have used ordering at fast food chains (decide before you get to the counter), ticket booths at theme parks, ATM’s, or a thousand other similar situations. I am also not really expecting 289,000,000 people to read this thread, slap their heads and say “Doh! Of course I should pay more attention”.

I think Alex's point is that when it comes to making the world a better place, you'll have much more luck focusing on your own behavior than worrying about the behavior of others. i.e., instead of hoping and praying that the annoying people who can't decide until they're standinga the McDonald's register will change their ways...try just not being annoyed by it. Instead of hoping that everyone who drives slower than you vanish from the road, just try not being annoyed by slow drivers. I strive to follow such a philosophy. If it's not in the realm of my control, there's no sense in being annoyed by it. And, when it comes to the kind of "I'm completely unaware of my surroundings" annoyances you describe, pointing them out to the offender rarely accomplishes a thing since, by and large, a certain lack of the ability to be self-aware (and thus alter their behavior) is what leads them to be fumbling for their ATM card to begin with.