Is There Something Wrong with People Lately?

Aug 30, 2026 • 2 Min Read

Source:
Adrian Swancar from Unsplash

There’s still beauty worth noticing.

The fatigue is real.

It seems like a lot of people are exhausted. Brains are overloaded. And, this is leading to unusual behaviour.

I was walking by a taco place recently. The door was open, and I could hear a full-on screaming match about rice. Rice. There was a guy in his 40's engaged in verbal combat with the cook about a burrito. Apparently, there was no rice, too much rice, over-cooked rice, the wrong rice. Who knows? But, it was a big deal. And, it went on. It almost came to blows. Over rice.

I'm seeing a lot of this kind of stuff. A lot of people seem to be clicking between fatigue, frenzy, anger, rudeness, indifference. I don't want to be like this. Neither do you.

This brings us back to the burrito. Two people's day ruined by rice. Not to mention the affect on bystanders. This was a choice to be right rather than happy. It didn't need to happen.

I was reminded not to let this stuff attach itself. To get off the assembly line. People are living through real problems. A burrito is not one of them.

A few things to try:

Maintain situational awareness. Don't get stuck in your head. Notice people. See opportunity.
Smile more. A well-timed smile can make someone's day. And your's.
Turn off the 'news'. Don't stay locked inside the political circus. There's better stuff to pay attention to.
Pay attention to your attention, be aware of your awareness, be conscious of your consciousness. This is the stuff of life.
Put the screen away more. Learn to flow and function in real life. Do something.
Be selective in your battles. Peace is often better than being right.
Don't waste your time and energy on things that don't deserve them. Your life force is limited.
Learn to sometimes take a step back. Not every disagreement needs to be addressed. Wisdom often manifests in silence.

Times are hard. The struggles are real. We get it.

Don't let your heart grow cold. We can be real people. Happy people. We can care. We can choose to be kind. Life is full of beauty. Notice it.

Thanks for reading. You are a genius!

This article was first published in Terry Small's Brain Bulletin newsletter.