Morals and the City

People’s morals and social etiquette don’t depend on the number of people living in a city. I don’t like to hear that because there are a lot of people living in a city, that makes people naturally less polite. If people weren’t really affected by others, if they really thought for themselves on how to act in public, then to say that living in a city with a large population isn’t an excuse at all to act disrespectful on the street. Walking slowly about five abreast on the sidewalk, drivers insisting on going even when the street is clogged with traffic and they can’t go anywhere (having no regard to pedestrians), drivers looking forward without looking both ways, people cutting in front of you when their pace is slower than yours, people standing in the middle of the sidewalk, talking to each other, acting as if they owned the sidewalk. Everyone knows about being polite so why act otherwise on the street? How does living in a big city make people do otherwise?

One’s morals depend on the self, not on the size of a city.