But as I put the cart in the holding area, I had two options - stack it somewhat reasonably (like a decent human), or just push it in and let gravity and friction do the rest (like an asshole). I went with the reasonable-stack option, but within that, I had two choices - push it in with an existing row of carts, or leave it off sort of to the side. I guess the first choice would make it easier for the guy who has to gather all the carts before closing time, but I didn't think about it fast enough, and was already back at my car by that time.
Then I sort of wondered to myself, when that guy goes shopping, how does he return carts? Does he stack them neatly, since he knows what it's like to gather the carts? I'm guessing he probably does. What about the person who has been a waiter (no gender implied), and tends to leave a big tip, no matter how the service was?
In my own line of work, I liken this to compassionate coding. You usually see it coming from the guy who's worked a few places, seen all types of codebases, large and small, has inherited legacy code, has built new systems and given some poor sap HIS legacy code. He knows that programmer time is worth more than compiler time, his code is clear, readable, maintainable.
But then I realized - this doesn't just apply to lines of work. This is life. We're all humans. We all know what it's like when someone does something completely asshole-ish to us. Whether you're the former waiter who leaves a big tip all the time or just a regular joe, just pay it forward, and don't be a dick.
This PSA brought to you by the Midnight Ramblings Association.
0 comments:
Post a Comment