[ThirdOfFive]

People are people, and uncourteous behavior is certainly not limited to The Villages. One must be careful though not to interpret a behavior as rude when we may not entirely understand the circumstances, or when it may merely reflect values different from ours.

Most of us come from places where the folkways are quite different from those in Florida, or are quite different from the Villagers from other parts of the country (or even the world, as there are quite a few foreigners living in The Villages). Some of us are offended or even taken aback by friendly greetings from strangers. The opposite is also true if we offer a smile, a wave or a greeting and it is pointedly ignored. The are dozens, probably hundreds, of such examples. We may also do things completely unintentionally; things we do every day, that may offend or irritate others whose folkways may be different from ours. That particular road runs both ways. The Villages, more so than most other parts of America, is a melting pot.

I have to remind myself from time to time that the world doesn't revolve around me.