DISCLAIMER: This is a non-technical article.

Lately I have found myself pondering a lot about human nature. While I'm still young and my experiences are limited, I've identified a repeating characteristic among a lot of (if not most) people.

I've spent this summer in South Bay interning for a tech company. Although I had a temporary place in the Bay, I often found myself commuting back to my home, near my school on weekends. For any readers that have never experienced rush hour traffic in the Bay on a Friday evening, it is atrocious. My commute is about 100 miles yet perhaps 20 miles are spent crawling. It was during one of these drives when my observations of the people around me and their behavior ignited these thoughts and specifically this question: "Why are people so inconsiderate?"

No one likes to be stuck in traffic. Or perhaps I should say it takes a really sick twisted mind to enjoy sitting in traffic. Yet, it happens everywhere especially before and after normal work hours. It's so popular we have a term for it (i.e. rush hour). But it happens... Yet the most shocking thing (to me) is despite everyone being in the same boat, we still can't work together to mitigate the situation. When stuck in traffic, how often do you see people changing lanes? Not even just once, but several times, only to go futher ahead by a few cars? I admit it, when I was younger and first got my license, I used to do that ALL the time. Yes, I was one of those guys. The most embarassing part? I never reached my destination any sooner. As soon as I switched one lane, the previous lane I had occupied started moving faster. It seemed every time I switched lanes this would happen. Yet I still did it. While no one achieves great results by using this lane swapping method (because it's not feasible), people continue to repeat it. I haven't researched traffic patterns and behaviors, yet I am willing to bet such behavior is not productive. Whether we like to admit it or not, automated highways will exist because of this exact problem. Scientists and researchers have figured out that we, as people, cannot work together efficiently enough to delineate rush hour situations. What's the solution? Take the human out of equation. A bit embarassing isn't it?

This characteristic of people being inconsiderate goes beyond people in traffic situations. It happens during normal driving situation, when certain individuals feel entitled to the left most lane while driving barely the speed limit holding up lines of cars. Why? Well because the bucket of f*$ks is empty and 0 are to be given. It happens during normal human interactions, sometimes even in friendships!

This is a topic of much debate. I could sit for hours on end listing scenarios and hypothesizing why this happens. Yet it's not so important. From my experiences, with things like these, answers to the "why" questions are never fulfilling. However, what can help are actions. Next time, you find yourself on the left or middle lane with someone behind you, politely move over, at least temporarily. Someone at the office or a housemate rubs you the wrong way? Avoid confrontation and respect their space. When someone helps you out, try to repay them, one way or another. Be considerate and realize no one is obligated to do anything for you. Remember, in any situation, even if the parties don't agree, they still share one thing in common: being involved in the uncomfortable situation. So be considerate and make it easier for both you and the others. Believe me, these small gestures can go a long way. And hey, at the end of the day, what do you have to lose?