Vicious Behaviour

   Yesterday C and I were out for our usual morning run. I've run the same route for about four years and we've been running the same route all this summer. Part of the route require us to run in the street because there is no sidewalk. We were running single file as usual due to traffic on the street. We were about 4 inches from the curb, not even close to being in the driving lane.
  We were moving along at a pretty good clip when a newer model white car came toward us and swerved into us. There was no one else on the road. There were no animals attempting to cross the street. Fortunately C saw the swerve starting and moved onto the grass. I followed after him. The car swerved back into the driving lane and continued on.
  I knew why this had happened. It had happened to me a couple times before over the years that I've been out running. There is always someone who thinks it is "fun" to scare runners or bikers by driving into them so they have to run off the road.
  We talked about it as we continued our run. C wished he had had a rock to throw at the car. I wished there had been a way to take a picture of the license plate so we could either take it to the police or post it on the Internet for some well deserved shaming. We discussed a recent Facebook exchange with a young man we know who believes that all people should carry guns. We discussed what could have happened if we had been carrying a gun with us. (For the record neither of us owns a gun.)
  This is something about people that truly angers me,people who find amusement by injuring or placing others in danger. If C and I hadn't been able to get out of the way quick enough one  or both of us would have been injured or killed. The driver of the car would not have stopped. He or she would have driven away laughing about how they managed to run those stupid runners over. They shouldn't be out running anyway. They got what they deserved.
  When we got home from our run, C looked at Facebook. A friend had posted a news story about bicycle riders in Minneapolis being injured by concrete pieces that were being thrown at them. One of the riders had sustained severe facial injuries. This only fueled my anger. What kind of sick individual gets enjoyment out of this?
  I am constantly appalled at how mean human beings are to each other. For all that wild animals are considered to be dangerous and vicious, I truly believe humans are much worse. An animal operates on instinct. They will attack if threatened and to hunt for food. They don't attack and kill because they have nothing else to do and are bored. Humans, who have larger more complex brains, do.
  I firmly believe that this is the result of much of the technology we have now. We have some wonderful and marvelous tools, but they come with some serious side effects. (Can you tell what I do for a living?) We are now able to communicate without actually having to talk to anyone. We can buy what we need and arrange for other services with very little to no interaction with other people. We have violent video and computer games where people can shoot and kill. The characters fall down in a pool of digital blood. When the game is over, you can turn it off. The next time you want to play all the characters  are back and ready for another round. We can create out own little world where see only the things we want to see and hear only what we want to hear. We can say whatever we want whenever we want and not have to deal with the potential consequences. It strips empathy. It allows humans to strip others of their humanity.
   I wonder what would happen if people could not run so easily from their actions? Would shooting someone still be "fun" if you had to watch while that person's life drained away? Would hitting C and I with a car still be amusing if you had to wait while I wondered if the ambulance would get to us in time? While I wondered if I could get someone to work my shift at the pharmacy so I could stay with my husband until he is stable. Would the rock thrower still indulge in his hobby if he had to feel the pain of the stitches and surgeries?
  I'd like to think that most people are good and decent, but the last two days have shaken my faith. I can't assume I'm safe anymore. I have to be a lot more careful and assume that everyone is a potential threat until proven otherwise. I don't like the fact that I am even contemplating living this way. It seems like extreme paranoia. Right now though, it looks like this is where we are headed.
   I hope I'm wrong.