Are we becoming feral?

We’ve all heard about feral cats, but I recently heard someone say that we humans were becoming feral. Here’s what she meant.

We were discussing some recent interactions the counselors have had with clients in the lobby or over the phone during which, for lack of a better term, the client lost it. I’m not suggesting that we are perfect at Pet Camp – we are not – but when we make a mistake we acknowledge it, apologize, and try to make things right. In these instances, however, the pet parents were less interested in any of those things and more interested in hurling personal insults and yelling. Based on what I hear from other small business owners and stories about what flight attendants are facing; these are not isolated incidents.

Have we become feral? Have we lost the ability to interact with others without being threatened or feeling the need to threaten them? Have we gotten to the point where every interaction is so dominated by our “fight or flight” thought process that we cannot have a reasonable interaction when things are not perfect or when we don’t get exactly what we want when we want it? When I think about feral cats -cats that are too scared to interact with you and run away when you approach them or stand their ground with hisses and nails out – it seems that we’ve gotten pretty feral ourselves.

I get that this is a stressful time. I understand that many businesses are understaffed, there are supply chain issues and in general, things are not going as smoothly as they did a mere 18 months ago. I also understand that for some time now, some have decided that it is acceptable to yell at people with different political views or who support a different candidate or party. But I think the time to stop all this behavior has passed. It is time for us to remember how to behave around other people; it is time to remember that listening to others who think differently might make us smarter; it is time to stop yelling at people who are doing their job and it is time to thank them. Who knows, you might just prove to yourself that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.
Thanks for reading; thanks for supporting small business everywhere; and thanks for saying thank you to the counselors.

Pet Camp has been providing San Francisco’s best pet care since 1997.  If you are a San Francisco Bay Area pet parent in need of overnight care for your dog or cat; doggie day care; dog training; bathing or transportation for your dog or cat we would be honored to assist you.  We can be reached at 4152820700 (phone or text) or havingfun@pertcamp.com