Once again, the news forces me to say something. Here’s the article I’m referring to, and please make sure to read the callous remarks made by those who would rather point fingers and call names than let the poor family of this man take one single day to grieve in peace. “Lawyer dies in early morning Gilbert crash”I wrote the following a few weeks ago after coming to the end of my rope with the lack of human decency in the world.

“I’d like to introduce the world to a little concept I like to call “The existence of other people”.

When I was a child I used to believe that I was the center of the universe. I knew in my heart that I was the reason the world was created and the rest of the humans were only put here to entertain me, feed me or provide for me. I was infallible. If I did something wrong, someone else should take the blame for me because after all, I was the most important being in the universe.

However, about the age of 7, I began to realize that there might be holes in my hypothesis. I started to notice that other people experienced pain, for one. I started to realize that other people had feelings and those feelings could be hurt if they were not cared for in the same ways that I expected my own feelings to be respected.

I’ll admit, this came to me as a complete shock at the time. But after a few years I eventually forgot about being the center of the universe and it became second nature to care about other people as I would expect them to care for me. Those of us who attended Sunday school remember this as “The Golden Rule”.

Most decent, loving people by the time they are 12 or 13 years old have come to fully understand that they are not the reason the world was created and turn their attentions toward fullfilling their own personal destinies while getting along with the rest of mankind.

However, there are many exceptions to this rule. Some human beings never figure out this little tidbit of information, and therefore go on believing that the rest of mankind is either out there to serve them or to just get in their way. The wife beaters, the serial killers, the guy in the Mercedes who cuts you off just to get one car length ahead in traffic. Obviously for some it’s a lifelong belief, and for others it’s just a momentary lapse in judgement.

But for the latter, it would help the rest of us if you kept one thing in mind before you forget that you aren’t the only one who’s running late, the only one who has plans today, or the only one not having a good day.

We’re all living in this busy, congested, over-scheduled world together. And if we all started treating each other like the offensive drivers, rude customers, and selfish jerks out there - who would want to live here anyway?

It’s the polite, friendly, helpful people of the world that make this life worth living together, not the jerks. We just put up with you when we absolutely have to. No one actually wants to talk to you, and no we do not owe you a smile while you’re giving us the finger.

So if you’ve been caught recently putting yourself and your wants so far ahead of anyone else’s, here is your chance to think twice. Think twice before you speed up in traffic just because the guy next to you did the right thing and put on his blinker before getting over into your lane. Think twice before you cancel on a friend at the last minute just because you couldn’t get your butt off the couch. Think twice before you cut ahead of that older gentleman in line at the grocery store just because you can walk faster. And in general, just think twice before you ruin a person’s day by being a selfish jerk.

It’s not a race to see who can finish fastest and own the most stuff. We’ll all get there in the end. It’s really a marathon for those who are trying live a good and decent life in this ever-increasingly nutty world.

Let’s make it the best life we can. Now play nice!”

Everyone speeds. We all know that. But judging by his friends it would be my guess that this man wouldn’t have spit on your graves had the tables been turned. I will pray for the family of Anthony Burgi tonight. They could use all the help they can get.