Retrofit

We live in a culture of apology in the the U.S.. Perhaps this relates to our warmongering of the past decade. We destroy whole countries, decimate civilian populations with shock and awe. The we apologize by way of nation-building with lots of cash and its inevitable corruption.

A driver recently cut me off in traffic. I was barely able to prevent an accident, for which I would have been liable. The young driver waved into his rear-view mirror. I observed he was laughing with his passenger as he did it. Did he really think me so stupid to accept this as a socially acceptable gesture after what he had done? Or was his rudeness accompanied with cynical meanness? I tend to believe the latter. I observe this behavior daily in grocery lines, subway cars and on sidewalks.

Anyone who has done construction or renovation knows that retrofitting can be much more difficult and costly than starting from scratch. The same is true of speech and behavior. Doing it right and saying it well in the first place takes constant practice. It makes life more peaceful and joyful. It is worth the effort.