Let me help you with that.

That is something you hear less and less these days and I think it’s a shame. This morning I was in the supermarket. I thought I didn’t need that much groceries, so I walked past the shopping karts. Who needs one of those things that most of the time just wants to go west when you want to go north? I surely don’t, at least that’s what I thought. Of course, like so often, I had more groceries then I had planned on, so I had to balance everything on one arm while I tried to collect the rest of my stuff. When I finally got all the things I wanted I went to the cash register and that’s where it all went wrong. Stuff slipped from my arm and fell on the ground. The lady in front of me just turned around and gave me a nasty look and the guy next in line made a rude comment. None of them offered to help me, so I had to perform a neat trick…..almost a circus act. I needed to balance the rest of my stuff with one arm and pick up the other groceries with my free hand. Man, it was a hard job but I managed. ehmm… maybe I should apply for a circus job? :) No, I won’t!But this little event got me thinking. What is wrong with Dutch folks these days?

Okay to be honest, we Dutch like to complain and nag about everything. The weather, the world, our food, new health insurance system, salaries, neighbours, you name it and we complain about it. Well, look at me….I’m complaining about Dutch folks! :) It has been that way for ages and I guess that is never going to change, but nowadays some people are really turning nasty. They not only complain, they also forgot everything that used to be common courtesy. Things like holding the door open when somebody is entering right behind you. They just throw the door shut in front of your face. Or when I greet people on the street in my neighbourhood, they just look at me funny……like I am an alien or something. When you approach someone to ask for directions for example, they act like they don’t hear you. Who knows why, maybe they suspect you are going to rob them or something. Yuck, I really dislike that sort of people.

They say people have changed because of the negative vibe, the Dutch recently became negative about everything, but I don’t believe that. I believe that certain things act as a catalyst which causes a chain reaction. For example someone is entering a building but somebody else throws the door in their face. First time they think ‘how rude’ the second time they get angry and after the third time they just unintentional act the same way. So the next person has to suffer in the same way, and the next and the next. But I still have high hopes. Maybe the group of rude people is growing but I’m not ready to sign up for it yet. This has to work the other way around too. So, when somebody else has dropped his/her groceries I’m going to smile and say ‘Here let me help you with that’. Hopefully it will help!

“He who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love”