Wednesday, March 08, 2017

Lessons on being a more considerate person #2

This afternoon, I had lunch at an Italian restaurant on the ground floor of an office building. It was a casual dining restaurant, meant for the office workers and the prices were very reasonable. While I was waiting for my food, a man seated at the table next to mine behaved quite inconsiderately...

Lesson #2: Don't snap your fingers or clap your hands for a waiter's attention

This may not apply worldwide, but I'm betting in most places, waiters (and waitresses) would dislike being "summoned" by finger-snapping or hand-clapping. Yes, sometimes they're too busy to notice a raised hand or a wave, but they are people too, and everyone deserves some respect. In an office environment, if your colleague is trying to get your attention, you would expect him to get up and walk to your desk, or call you by name if you're nearby. I doubt many people would appreciate being called with a snap of the fingers.

Tuesday, March 07, 2017

Lessons on being a more considerate person #1

Ever since my daughter was born, I've been a lot more sensitive towards my surroundings and how it affects her. Most of this will be related to noise (as she is a light sleeper) and just generally being around your fellow man.

I guess many of these "lessons" on being more considerate can be seen as common sense to some, but these lessons come from my personal experiences of getting frustrated when faced with someone being insensitive or inconsiderate.

Lesson #1: Don't honk your car horn before 9am


Much like house renovations or DIY work around the house, this noise affects the people around you. Not everyone is up and getting ready to head out. Many people are still in bed, perhaps ill, recovering from the night shift, or, like me, trying to keep as quiet as possible so that my daughter doesn't get up before she's ready to.

Anyway, honking your car horn in front of someone's house is just rude. If they aren't out yet and you're running late, send them a message, call them, or get down from your car and ring their doorbell.