A Killer Price

"Black Friday Crowds Trample to Death a Wal-Mart employee"

This makes me sick, disgusted, sad: Crowds gathered outside of a Wal-Mart in New York State Friday morning surged through the front doors in a mad dash to take advantage of 'doorbuster' sales, trampling to death the employee who opened the doors. "Doorbusters" in reality, knocking the doors off of the hinges and crushing them - and the employee - to save a few bucks. Witnesses say that members of the crowd STEPPED OVER the prone body of the man as they made their way into the building, and fellow employees were battered and bruised themselves in their attempt to come to the poor man's aid. When shoppers were told the store would be closing for a few hours because of the death many continued shopping, expressing irritation and exclaiming "I waited out front for hours, I'm not leaving!"

What is wrong with you people? What have you become? Never mind the Christmas Spirit, what happened to your humanity? Although it shouldn't matter, let me put it into perspective for you - and make it personal to appeal to your selfish natures: What if this person was your grandmother, your husband, your child? How would you feel then? Would you be outraged? Would it change your behavior? Would you still step over their crumpled and battered body for a flat-screen television?

Here's my gift to all of you, and to the world at large: I didn't kill anyone this year - or ever. I tried to treat others with respect and kindness. I tried to think of someone besides myself. I made the effort. It seems like such a small thing, no effort at all really... But maybe the lowest common denominator is all we can hope for against the backdrop of selfish indifference. Maybe it's no longer about what you do to help your fellow man - maybe it's about what you DON'T do to harm them.