The other day John and I were on our way to the YMCA for a mid-day gym break As we pulled into the parking lot, a sleek white car shot past us, nearly hitting us. The driver didn’t even seem to notice. He swung around the end of the aisle, raced into a parking space, jumped out of the car, grabbed his gym bag, and headed into the building. He never looked to see if there were any other people around. Based on his attire, I guessed he was a businessman scurrying to fit a workout into his lunch hour.

That’s admirable. However, what alarmed me is the fact that he could have endangered the safety of others in his rush. A couple of seconds after he entered the building, a dad came out with his little son, who looked to be between two and three years old. The way the businessman was racing around the parking lot, he could easily have run over that little guy in his hurry. He never even noticed my son and myself nor the elderly man scuffling along and between the cars. He was completely intent on his fitness mission.

How often do we act similarly? How often are we so caught up in our own busy schedules that we forget that there are other people around? Sure, accidents happen. They happen to all of us, and I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve had my share. And I’m not really picking on the guy in the business suit; he could’ve just been having one of those days. The incident merely got me thinking about what happens when we become pressured by work and schedules and forget about the personhood of others. How do we keep up with our hectic lives while at the same time being considerate of the people around us?

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