Are you invisible?

I am amazed at how people think that once they are within the bounds of their car they perceive themselves as invisible to the people around them. 
I have examples of situations where drivers must have thought that they were in private.

One early morning I was driving south on Highway 121 south of Denver and noticed a car in the right lane that was driving erratically.  I pulled alongside the car and noticed the woman driver within changing her clothing.  She had her top off and was trying to put on a pullover shirt.  I was amazed and almost ran off the road.  She noticed me and realized she was not invisible.  Next she commenced with application of her mascara, and finally she sped away to avoid me staring at her.

The next example is not limited to only the car, but many people in public.  I finally understand why people have such big nostrils is because they have such big forefingers.  I am amazed at the level of concentration afforded to extracting that last little bit of gold lodged just beyond the reach of that index finger.  Then success… what shall I do with this little golden wonder?  I could rub it under the side of the seat, or maybe just flick it onto the floor.

Distracted drivers are dangerous.  I was a distracted driver when I was a teenager.  I was gawking at a pedestrian in Alamosa Colorado when the person in front of me stopped at a crosswalk.  I did not notice him and … Boom!, I wrecked my brother’s car.

Distractions are dangerous and may cause deadly damage.  Don’t be distracted as it is detrimental.

As I was driving along I-35 South toward Austin I noticed that the traffic was starting to queue behind a pair of cars driving side by side.  After a long delay I managed to slip through the slow section of traffic.  As I passed the lead car I noticed the driver had a book open and resting on the steering wheel, reading and turning pages as he paced himself with the car in the next lane.  I was rather annoyed, amazed, and anxious that someone would choose to endanger himself and others with such distracted driving habits.

I wonder if automobiles and elevators have a common influence on people and their behavior.  Elevator etiquette does not include wearing a heavy perfume that has coconut as a base.  I worked at a facility in Denver Colorado where there was a woman that liked her silk scarves and her coconut perfume.  It was obvious at times she had been on the elevator.  But, the worst is when someone is alone on the elevator and thinks it a perfect opportunity to expel that malodorous melee of mixed gases.  As the elevator door opens and you realize that several people see you and know what you did then you review your situation and suppose that you are no longer invisible, even though the odor is not visually detected, it is detected.

Athletic events afford athletes the apparent aura of being invisible.  Not all of that scratching and adjustment of the uniform is for the sake of sending signals to the pitcher.  DON’T THEY REALIZE THE CAMERA IS SHOWING THE WHOLE TV AUDIENCE WHAT THEY ARE DOING?  Why do the camera operators zoom in at such opportune times?

I would suppose that we just don’t realize that we are not invisible.  Perception is a precept that perhaps is not appreciated by people.

I heard this joke that accentuates this principle of personal perception.
An elderly lady went to the doctor seeking help with a serious case of intestinal gas buildup.  She explained to her doctor that she had a horrible case of gas, but it was not too serious because the discharges were silent and the odor was benign.  The doctor gave her some green pills and asked her to take 4 a day and come back in 2 days.  During the second visit she complained to the doctor about the pills, complaining that they had caused her gas to smell awful.  The doctor retorted, “Now that we have your sinuses cleared, let’s work on your hearing”.

Remember, your personal perception does not make you invisible.