The littlest things

Does it mean you are getting old when the littlest things get you mad or upset ? Or is it late stage rebellion ? Like when you were a teenager. I find this happening to me a bit more frequently than I like though. Am I becoming a bitter old man ? These are questions I ask myself. They are questions any reasonable man should ask. If I where a celebrity I suppose I could hire a therapist to listen to me and take my money but I have a wife and she does just fine in both categories ! Some look for the answer in a bottle but all I've ever found there was empty promises. Give up on that one years ago. The doctors will give you "medications" that will make you feel fine and just plain not care what is happening. I prefer to be cognizant of my surroundings.
I've written about changes in past blogs. Changes are hard and some just don't need to be. It is these very changes,even the littlest ones,that are getting me mad and upset. This was brought to the forefront just yesterday. I was reading the newspaper and in the letters to the editor a gentleman ( term loosely applied here) writes the "F" word. The paper printed it in its' full glory ! Why wasn't the judicious use of ampersands or asterisks used in its' place ?  F*&+  Recognize what it is ? Of course you do.
This may seem like a small thing and maybe it is but not to me. It is just further proof of the lowering of societies standards. There was a time in America when one did not print profanity except in profane books or magazines. Those publications were known to those that chose to read them. It was an affront to me.
A small thing perhaps. A man not holding the door open for a lady or relinquishing his seat on the bus small things,perhaps. Saying please and Thank You, yes sir or yes maam, small things,perhaps. Addressing an adult as Mr. or Mrs. a small thing,perhaps. Children being allowed to call their parents by their first name,a small thing,perhaps. These are some of the small things that make up a society. A society were one had respect for his fellow man. I see this society slipping away under the guise of, It's my Right. A little thing ?
Perhaps. Is it not the accumulation of these little things that form the whole? By allowing all the little things to go by the wayside are we not replacing the whole ? Are we really making progress when we allow this ?
Not all of the old ways were bad. There is always room for improvement that is true but we need to be careful just what parts we discard. When we start removing the very core of our democracy what will we be left with ? Sometimes it is the littlest things that matter the most.