The Golden Rule is Ageless
Another July fourth is here and gone. Wow, did it seem to come and go a little faster this year? All of the sudden it was here, and I certainly wasn’t prepared, and frankly, wasn’t really in the mood to celebrate. Granted, it’s not my favorite holiday since it seems to give people a free pass to act like complete imbeciles in all manners of speaking: drinking, behavior, erratic driving, and playing with fireworks. After owning a farm, fireworks are not something I enjoy, but that’s not the reason for this blog though. My question to you is, did you go out during the holiday and interact with others who did not have the day off? Instead, their job was to wait on you and every other person who is off who wants food and/or drink? Think about who waited on you. How did they treat you? How did you respond in turn?
I ask this because often the food industry is hit the hardest during the holidays, whether it be a coffee shop or restaurant or a grocery store. Tons of folks flock to the nearest establishment to seek refreshments. Who waits on them? Many times it is our younger generation because they are the only ones willing to take on these menial jobs. I remember my time as a server at a local restaurant, and I would dread the upcoming holidays and local festivals because it would mean swarms of people, many who were not locals and had no reason to be polite. They were hot, irritable, and hungry, which means they would share those negative attitudes with whoever was fortunate enough to wait on them.
Our little mountain Montana town is known for its Fourth of July festivities, so lots of out-of-towners venture onto our quaint streets greedy for food, drink, and anything else they can get into. My daughter works at one of the local coffee shops that also features a full menu. The owner has every one of her workers there or at least those she can cajole to be there to deal with the crowds. There’s nothing wrong with being busy; it makes the day go by faster. My issue is how we treat these young adults who wait on us. Many times we forget that they are learning too and are human so that means they will make mistakes. When this happens, they will smile and make it right, even if the customer is anything but patient and understanding. I saw this firsthand. Because they had to stand in line and wait to be served, there was a certain tension in the air, plain with their impatient expressions.
My daughter worked almost seven hours that day and came home with less than $10 in tips. What? How is this even possible? I thought maybe it was due to the number of people working, but she said that wasn’t the case. People simply didn’t tip. They were rude and short-tempered. This makes me wonder if we as a society are rude to these teens because of their age or because of our superiority. Believe me, I am not a barista. I may know a little bit about mixing some syrups with lotus or how to make my coffee in the morning, but I do not know how to be a barista who makes all types of coffee and energy drinks. Regardless of age, I have immense respect for those who do. Even if they do make a mistake, it is not my job to ream them for it. We are here to help others, even if it affects our food orders.
I have found many times that teens are treated inferior, and I have to attribute this to their age. Do we not remember what it was like to be young? Are we aggravated because we aren’t? I don’t know if it’s my daily interactions with teens as a teacher that makes me empathetic to their woes or perhaps it is something that we need to work on as a society. They are the future, and isn’t it our job to help prepare them for that in the best way possible? This does not mean making it difficult either. Maybe we should practice the golden rule and remember that we should treat others the way we would like to be treated, regardless of their age or amount of experience. Maybe then they could enjoy the holidays too, even if they are preparing our food and drinks. Remember that regardless of age or experience, we all deserve to be treated with respect and kindness.
