While I was out driving, the light turned green and cars went through the intersection… except for the car immediately in front of me. They clearly weren’t paying attention, so I honked. As the car started to move forward, a hand shot out of the window to flip me off.
Instead of feeling hurt or offended, it was more a blasé sense of, “Yup. Toxic people signal themselves.” Compulsively, imo.
Way back when I was 21, there was a huge amount of pressure to not judge someone. If they were rude in public, you were expected to make excuses for them. If you cut someone out of your life because they flipped off other cars in traffic, then you were the bad person. Don’t judge someone off of minor bad habits.
Except, those little things really are the sum total of some people.
I spent years sitting in the passenger seat, attempting to hide my face in embarassment while the driver flipped other cars off. I also spent years wanting there to be more depth and complexity to that person, but ultimately that never happened. Behind the scenes in private, that person was every bit as entitled and hostile as he was in traffic.
So remember, the next time someone flips you off, that’s probably all that person has to offer.
By Autumn Rain 