I DON’T LIKE MEAN PEOPLE. You know who you are.

For many, especially in this sad time of Covid-19, reading the internet is how we stay connected. How we continue to learn — not just about ourselves, but what is happening to other people. And how other people are reacting to a situation. Who is doing what? Is it a good thing or a bad thing?

I read about this guy buying 17,000 bottles of sanitizer. I could only shake my head. He planned to sell them at marked up prices. Normally, this wouldn’t be a bad thing. But now? These days? When so many need this precious item? I have to ask … what kind of mentality does this?

My guess is he thought he was being clever. Maybe entrepreneurial. Perhaps he didn’t see himself as selfish. Or even cruel. He was, after all, going to sell them. But only to those who could afford his price. I found my lips going tight, reading about him. It’s people like him who make things harder for other people. People like this are truly miserly in spirit. They are, in reality, mean. And, I don’t like mean people.

I read another article on the Huffington Post — a shelf stocker wondering about being thought of as “essential personnel.” This person wrote of the people coming into the store. They had just stocked it. The author mentioned seeing one customer use his arm to clear an entire shelf of refried beans into his cart. Reading this, I felt my lips go tight again. The man — the customer — took it ALL, depriving others. People who do this kind of thing are miserly in spirit. Do they even think about it?

I read an article on The Hill titled: Selfless Acts: How Americans Are Helping Each Other Through the Coronavirus. Ah, I thought … good news. I LIKE good news. Then I got to the comments. Some were kind, but many were based on a selfishness that was staggering. To give you an example, here’s one that blew me away …

“I usually look for the weak or feeble in stores and take the toilet paper in their shopping carts by force. It’s not theirs until they pay for it.”

Okay. This is the kind of thinking we’re up against. Is it possible to change it? For some yes, others, no. Some will always think of themselves first. Evidently, they have no spirit of awareness beyond themselves. But the truth is, it is a choice.

So, when you chose, chose well. Be kind.

No one likes mean people.

Especially me.