Let me begin this column by saying I am an optimist by nature and by upbringing. I have always been inclined to see the “glass half-full” rather than “half-empty.” Both my parents were practical, hard-working people who approached life with determination, optimism and hope. Neither were “complainers.” As a matter of fact, there was not much room for “moaning and groaning” in the household where I grew up. If something wasn’t to our liking, we to were taught to “get after it or get over it.” I am not a complainer.
But after observing life on this planet for more than seven decades, I must admit I have begun to notice more and more things that bother me.
It bothers me when I pull up to a fast-food drive-up menu station and, before I can say a word, a voice chirps, “Would you like to try our char-broiled, triple cheese, double-bacon, avocado, barbeque, three-quarter-pound mega burger on Texas toast combo today, or even worse, “Will you be using our mobile app today?”
I am yet to reply, “Sure, lay it on me!”
Then, when I have placed my order for something with under a million calories, I am asked, “Would you like to make that a medium or a large?” More calories! I want to say, “What ever happened to small?”
“Would you like an apple pie with that?” the voice persists. I’m thinking, “Of, course I would like an apple pie!” But, I reply, in a cheerful voice, trying hard not to say so through clinched teeth, “No thank you!” I am convinced there are forces out there determined to see me as big as a dump truck.
It bothers me that corporations like AT&T, Verizon, and a host of others (including good old “Uncle Sam”) insist on having access to my personal checking account. They all talk “security,” but that doesn’t make me feel so secure.
It bothers me that far too many people refuse to return their shopping carts to where they find them, or to one of the many return stations provided. It just “bugs” me.
And here’s a big one. It bothers me that we are becoming a society which is more concerned about the lives of dogs and cats than the souls of men and women. That should give us pause for some serious thought.
Here’s another. It bothers me when I am sitting in a restaurant and I observe a couple (usually a married couple); and both spend more of their evening looking at their mobile devices instead of looking into each other’s eyes.
I will take it one step farther. When I see young parents (and some grandparents) hand their little ones an iPad or cell phone to keep them “entertained” at dinner in a restaurant I am prone to ask myself, “Whatever became of “‘Be still and sit up at the table” and table manners and conversation? It just bothers me.
And here’s something else. It bothers me when some in our society, under the guise of “political correctness” try to equate “disapproval” with “hate.” It is an egregious error in thinking.
It bothers me when, in the words of my late mother, people “strain at a knat and swallow a camel.” It is almost mystifying.
It bothers me that I have accomplished so much less in my life than I could have. It almost haunts me.
It bothers me that so many young parents I observe are much more interested in how they look than how their children are behaving.
It bothers me, when after a long, tiring day; I grab the TV remote, with over 200 channels from which to choose, and I can hardly find anything to watch which is intellectually or emotionally stimulating. The shallowness of what it takes to entertain us as a society borders on appalling.
Of course, there are many other things which bother me. Football stadiums are being filled and churches are empty. Concerts are being sold out and symphony halls struggle to fill seats. Entertainment and acquisition (buying stuff) have robbed us of our sense of wonder.
And it seems, far too many people simply don’t care. And that bothers me.
Copyright 2026 by Jack McCall
