Are people just mean or is it me?

I work with the public everyday and lately the public is mean. Are we all just in bad moods because of the cold? Or is it just that I'm someone who attracts evil patrons? I honestly don't know, but lately that old motto of "treat others as you would like to be treated" doesn't seem to be followed by many anymore. I don't think people read the Bible much these days or want to apply that old adage anymore. I am so tired of being treated like a dog and then being expected to just take it.

When I went to Africa last year, I met so many people that were just happy to be alive and loved. They were poor and really had very little, but they were so happy. People didn't push or shove each other just to get ahead. They didn't step over each other just to save a dollar. In the US, its just called trying to stand up for yourself or trying to get ahead. When does it cross the line and just become people being mean? If you yell at me because you spend an extra dollar, am I not allowed to defend myself too? I'm tired of people always having an excuse for everything. People say, "I've had a bad day, so that's why I acted so vicious to her." Is that fair? Are we allowed to just excuse any type of behavior with "I've had a bad day"? I wasn't raised that it's okay to use that as an excuse, or to use any excuse for treating someone badly. Is the next generation being taught the same mentality? I really don't think so, and the sad thing is that it's my generation doing the teaching. We aren't treating each other with love and respect anymore, and children are watching this behavior. It really just scares me.

That is my soapbox for today. Sorry I haven't written in a while, but bitching on here sometimes seems a little self indulgent. I want so badly to be a good person and be kind to everyone, but lately my buttons are being pushed a lot.