Pet peeves

I once read a book written by a man I love and respect. It's called "Standing for Something" and has lots of very wise counsel with astute observations in it. I have continued to ponder Gordon B. Hinckley's words about civility and the ofttimes lack of it. I wanted to share just three specific points that mean something to me.

#1 Clothing reflects attitude and therefore I feel it's significant that there should be different choices of clothing for different activities. I don't think people should wear the same clothing at a concert or in church that they might wear to mow the lawn or play volleyball. Recently as we visited an historic site in the Eastern USA there was a family in which all the females wore bathing suits, the younger ones not even adding a pair of shorts or a cover-up. It wasn't on the beach and I found the choice of attire rather awkward and inappropriate. I went to a professional ballet performance and saw among the nicely dressed attendees some who wore flip-flops, jeans, and basic tee shirts. There truly is a time and a place for bathing suits and casual clothes but there are also places that are NOT appropriate and it seems to me it's even disrespectful.

#2 We seem to have gotten sloppy in our self-control, probably due to watching movies in the comfort of out own homes. In concerts, live performances, or even theater movies, it is definitely rude to other members of the audience to walk in and out (go to the bathroom before it starts!) and really rude to talk during the performance. Can't you wait until the applause between numbers or the end of a scene to talk with neighbors? As for electronic devices- they are WAAAAAY over-used and we need some kind of Miss Manners type person to make a far-reaching, adamant statement as to when to have your cell phone screen lighting up your surroundings or making noises.

#3 I love seeing young people in church. I love children. I realize that often children in church need to be spoken to- by way of explanation, answering questions, or disciplining. However, I find endless conversation (unless translating languages) totally unnecessary. I recently sat in front of a mother and son who played thumbsies and carried on a constant conversation throughout nearly the whole church meeting. As for adult-to-adult (or teen-to-teen), I doubt there is ANYTHING really important enough that can't wait until the end of the meeting. If there is something that important to discuss, it would be better to leave rather than disturb all those around you.

Okay, so this will probably never be read by anybody, much less anyone who does any of these pet peeves. But I had to get it off my chest. There.