I am a stickler for rules and reasonable requests.  Right now, I’m sitting on a plane, watching passengers board.  The flight attendant just instructed us not to place two items in the overhead compartment.  The smaller item needs to go under our seats.  Two people in front of me placed both of their carry-ons above them, and now there is no room for other passengers’ suitcases. That irritates me. I want to rat them out to the flight attendant, and if my “don’t get involved” husband weren’t sitting next to me, I probably would.

The request over the intercom to “Please place your overhead items on their sides so that the overhead bin will hold more bags” is ignored by passengers three rows ahead of me.  I tell Dave that I’m going to let them know.  He suggests otherwise.  After all, I “haven’t been a flight attendant for 50 years.”  That irritates me too, and yes, I mean the selfish passengers and Dave. These rude ones need to be held accountable.

If that isn’t enough, the woman in the row ahead and to the right of me thinks it’s cute for her four-year-old son to entertain us for 20 minutes with “Jingle Bells” in his three-mile voice.  When he tires of that, we hear the “ABC” song.  Over and over and over again.  Why are the two old ladies in front of me looking at him and smiling and telling him what a wonderful voice he has?  They must be related.  Lord, help me.  I need ear plugs.

Personally, I believe that common courtesy has relocated to the “endangered species list.”  People who don’t crowd in lines.  Those who never say, “I’ve changed my mind and don’t want this hamburger, so I’ll just set it here by the Kleenex” but instead, do the right thing and return to its refrigerated compartment.  Drivers who don’t tail gate or swerve in and out of traffic to get to their destination two minutes earlier.  Dog owners who clean up after their pets.

Let’s face it.  Too many people have become “the exception to the courtesy rule.”  No doubt, you too can add to this list, but I wonder what would happen if people were held accountable…like the newlyweds who sent out this “Missed RSVP” notice: “We’re sorry you can’t make it to our wedding.  Our RSVP deadline has passed, and you unfortunately did not respond.  We would have loved to have you attend, but final numbers have now been turned in and your presence will be missed.”  Signed, “Bride and Groom.”

I find great satisfaction in this response, and I applaud the nerve of the future newlyweds…unless the one who responds late is me.  Case in point: within two months, I missed two very important get-togethers.  No excuses, for there was no one to blame but myself.  In those cases, accountability was not what I sought; I wanted mercy.

Who set a better example of mercy than Jesus Christ, clearly setting the example for how we all are to treat one another?  He never knew the “satisfaction” of holding his torturers responsible or of punishing his disciples who left him hanging to his death on the cross.  Quite the opposite.  “Father, forgive them.  They know not what they do.”

I read that and admit, I need to be a lot more like Jesus.  But what would Jesus do if the people did know what they were doing, like the plane passengers who were being disrespectful to the other passengers?  Would he confront them?  I would hope so.  And if he did, I would be the first to applaud.

Dear Lord, have mercy on my soul.