It happened again today on the way home from work. At the last possible second, a motorist flicked on his signal light, pleading for me to allow him into my lane. I acquiesed, and the car slid into position ahead of me...
...and no thank-you wave.
There's no good reason for this to rile me up as it does, and I always try to give drivers the benefit of the doubt; perhaps I simply didn't see the wave, perhaps he or she is dealing with troubling personal issues, perhaps the driver doesn't know about the custom. But I can't help but be a little annoyed, because I've always felt that small kindnesses deserve some sort of acknowledgement. It's not that I'm hungry for thanks, but rather I want people to recognize that we exist within a society filled with other human beings. Ignoring a courteous gesture is akin to treating others like robots or obstacles.
Of course, in a world filled with far greater injustices, it's silly to get too upset about such trivialities. But I can't help but think that ignoring the small moments of politeness is symptomatic of a society moving toward greater indifference to others.
