Seniority

I recently has an interaction with a neighbor in my new neighborhood about a parking situation. My neighbor explained that other neighbors place articles in their empty parking spaces on the public street after snowstorms "out of courtesy". I was amazed at this way of thinking. The same person also explained that anyone who wished to just park anywhere on a public street is just simply "ignorant". This neighbor justified these views by clarifying his seniority in the neighborhood. "I've lived here for forty years!" He implied that this seniority justified his view. Well, a public street with unregulated parking is obviously public. In fact, I checked with the city and found that the objects piled in the street to reserve spaces are in fact in violation of city ordinance, that is, illegal. Attachment causes insanity. Becoming attached to a public parking space is no different than claiming a public bench as one's own. The need of convenience, developed by years of habit and achieved by bullying newcomers with this concept of seniority is a very powerful and dehumanizing thing. Mindfulness includes being aware of lawfulness in situations involving others. Greed, whether senior or junior, corrupts its bearer and his environment.