I went to the grocery store on Sunday just a few weeks ago.  I normally get my groceries early Sunday mornings since the church crowd is busy and there are very few people in the store.  I was running late this particular Sunday and didn’t get to the store until just before noon.  Knowing I would only be there for 30 minutes or so, I decided to quickly address my grocery needs and get the hell out of Dodge before the natives showed up.

As fate would have it, I should have gone home and tried later.

I ran into the store and grabbed the dozen or so items I needed and headed directly to the checkout.  It was no more than 25 minutes from the time I parked to the time I walked out the door with my cart-o-groceries firmly in tow.

I tossed the half-dozen grocery bags into the trunk and quickly led the cart to its little coral in the middle of the parking lot.

I realized that the parking lot was quite full now, an overwhelming difference from just a half hour before when I arrived.

So I helped the cart into the coral and turned to return to my car…

Son of a bitch!  Someone had hit my car.  Just behind the front passenger-side wheel well was a deep dent about 10 inches long.  It was high enough to tell me it had been done by a truck or SUV.

Do you think the offender left a note with their insurance and/or contact information?

Of course not.  You know these good church folks — no need to complicate a holy life by being responsible and following the law.

I was so pissed.  It cost me $300 to get the dent repaired.  That was out of pocket since it was only slightly more than my car insurance deductible and, let’s be honest, I didn’t want to see my rates go up.

Every single day I see more evidence of why I hate people, why I think people are inherently selfish and evil.  This event simply gave me even more reason to always be a faultfinding captious critic who believes that human conduct is motivated wholly by self-interest.

I agree that the conclusion that it was someone fresh out of their Sunday cult meeting may not be an accurate assumption.  Still, this is the Bible Belt and that happens to be the most popular crutch-for-the-weak-minded cult in town.  I need no additional reasons to demonize the religious hypocrites which infest the planet, but the Bible-thumping assholes who live in this part of the country are capable of making Dubya look downright liberal — so they make a very good target of loathing and detestation.

The sad fact is that our society — human society — teaches people that this kind of thing is OK.  Even more disturbing is that the same people who will readily tell you you’re going to hell for doing publicly what they do secretly are the same people who will readily bash in the side of your car and drive away in violation of the law and in direct contradiction of all human decency.

Still, maybe it wasn’t church folk.  That doesn’t mean I can’t blame them for playing a part in the society that makes people think this kind of thing is OK.

I don’t need more reasons to be a cynic.  People still find need to constantly provide them to me free of charge and without request.