My Sad Realization

Today, I was on the late bus, riding home with a flock of younger children. In that space, I was clearly the oldest individual, (save the bus driver, of course.) The whole lot of them were fervent and excited. They were jumping, screaming,and sticking body parts out of the windows. They'd talk of such colorful subjects as: their sex life, drug experiences, who went to third base with who, who had a larger, more powerful rifle, (clearly the term "euphemism," hadn't yet entered their vocabulary.)
This, sadly, has become commonplace for the freshmen-sophomore age group. My first instinct was to be angry at them. How dare they act so childish and immature! After being absolutely flustered by their preposterousness for ten to twenty minutes or so, I began to think about the situation a bit further; and the result of my thought processes saddened me greatly.
To think what these kids must deal with every day was too much to stomach at first. Whether or not we admit it, the human race as a whole is selfish by nature. Not intentionally, but think about it: When you get into an argument with a person, do you always stop to consider where they are coming from? Neither do I. So while I do still disapprove of these children's behavior, I have one thing to say for them: I don't envy them, and I certainly don't think they are "spoiled." New Hampshire isn't exactly renowned for good parenting, and I can only imagine the amount of crap they've had to go through to act out as selfishly as they do. I've come to notice that no matter how hard life is for everyone alive, people only act selfish as a survival instinct. We genuinely, as a race, want to do what is right and good. When someone acts out, I think they do so because they don't know what else to do.
Believe it or not, I was not always the poster child of good behavior. I was narcissistic, tactless and crude; and the thing that got me out of that hole was owning my poor habits, and making amends. This is a message from me, both victim and villain, to you: the next time you see someone upset, acting out, or just not in a good place, think. Just think about where they are at. I'm not trying to excuse their behavior, only noting that the only way to solve this problem is by helping them, not by showing disdain.

Thanks,

L. F. Braley