Conversation with a Youth – Mind Your Own Business
The time: Covid-19 pandemic time. The place: A clinic’s reception area
Man: Do you have to talk on the phone?
Youth: What the f**k do you want? I am talking on the phone with my mom about my appointment. What is your problem?
Ten minutes later. The man is still staring at the youth.
Youth: What the hell are you staring at? I am talking to the receptionist because I have been waiting in line for 20 minutes and I am late for my appointment.
Complete Silence. A few minutes later, the youth was called into the appointment and that was the end of the one-sided conversation.
After the appointment, the Youth told a Boomer about what just happened at the clinic.
Boomer: Did you really say that to the man?
Youth: Yes, I did.
Boomer: That was not respectful. You could have said the same thing in a nicer way.
Youth: Why? It was not his business to talk to me.
Boomer: I agree. It was not his business to ask you why you were on the phone, particularly that he heard you talking about the appointment.
Youth: Yeah. Eh!! He got what he deserves. It was none of his business to talk to me.
Boomer: You can always deliver the message with kindness and compassion.
Youth: He had no business talking to me. He got what he deserves. You treat people the way they treat you.
Boomer: You could have ignored him or responded politely.
Youth: Nope. He deserved that. It irks my Soul to see you (boomer) being kind to people who do not deserve it.
Boomer: Being kind is important to building respectful relationships.
Youth: Nope. People get what they deserve.
Youth shrugs shoulders and walks away.
We think today that youth are rude and disrespectful. Is it really the case? Or do they have more guts than previous generations to call things as they are even if it sounded and looked disrespectful to adults? I wonder if previous generations said the same thing about us?
I still think that we can always say what we want with kindness and compassion no matter what the situation is, but what do I know? I am only a Boomer.
With Love,
