A New Pet Peeve

I am sitting here this morning looking at Face Book and seeing what is going on with the few people I maintain as friends. I also got a nice email from a person I work with that was a cute message with snowmen and sprigs of holly decorating the message. The content hoped my day was filled with the little things that occur that make the day seem to flow and be pleasant. It had a religious point to it, and I don't object to that. What I do object to is at the end of the message the sentences urging me to send this message on to someone you might be thinking of, or care about. Even that isn't too bad as I do have some friends I would like to tell them I am thinking about them and I care about them. However, then comes the threat. If you don't pass this on it means you don't care, or you don't believe in God's love, or some such threat. That pisses me off. I delete those emails regardless of content. I've seen emailed chain letters that threaten your economic status, your mental health, or you relationship with God if you don't pass them on. I delete them, every damn one of them.

This time of year I've heard parents say to children, "If you don't behave Santa won't bring you any gifts." What a hell of a thing to tell a kid. Why don't we just blame our lack of ability to teach, model, instruct or discipline behavior on some third party. I know, like God. If you don't behave you'll go to hell. That'll get the little buggers into the behaving mode.

Anyway it really makes me angry to get messages that imply that I am not a worthy person, or don't care, or whatever fault they emphasize when they do not know me. I might pass a really nice message on if I wasn't threatened.