This morning woke up bright and early, 4:30 am to be exact, prepared to rock the Dallas Rock N’ Roll half marathon. While this was hands down the craziest thing I have ever done, I went into with an open mind. At 8:00 am the race began and I was off! The first couple miles I was focused on my breathing and speed. Once I was able to find the perfect pace, I started noticing the people around me. Many of the people participating in the race were running in teams for a cause. While I completely support them and think what they did was amazing, there was one thing that bothered me most, they ran side-by-side. Having two people run next to each other is totally understandable, but when these packs are formed of four, five, even six people it creates a barrier for the other runners trying to pass them. The majority of the course was only two car lanes wide and these packs took up almost a complete lane, posing as a challenge for the other runners to maneuver them.
In the novel, Choosing Civility by P.M. Forni, two of these chapters are applicable to my experience today, “Pay Attention” and “Acknowledge Others”. According to Forni, “We spend much of our daily lives neglecting to pay attention. I know I often go through my surroundings without taking them in…” (36). While I understand many people are focused on themselves, they need to be mindful of others around them.
One final thing, I would like to personally congratulate everyone that participated in today’s half marathon. It wasn’t easy, but we did it!
I agree with your argument completely. It seems as though sometimes people become so wrapped up in their own world that they have no problem continuing to act a certain way despite its effects on others. The chapters the you cited form Forni support your topic well also
ReplyDeleteI understand what you are saying because I am in the triathlon class for my wellness and I had to volunteer in a triathlon last weekend and I noticed this! There were so many people clumped together and there was no space or room and people were focused on themselves and not others! I like how you incorporated Forni into your argument as well! I am running in a triathlon on May 1st and I am interested to see how people will act. I'm sure it will be the same as your experience! Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteI hate it when people do this at the mall too. You can get trapped behind a whole family, or even just two big folks, and you have to say "Excuse me please" to get past them. Why would they not get closer and off to one side? Because they are not "paying attention," as Forni would say; they think they own the road.
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