R-E-S-P-E-C-T

One of the requirements when we rented our place in Hamilton was proximity to a gym. Needing my daily endorphin fix to work out the stresses of the day, I was pleased to find a YMCA just a seven minute walk and one bus stop away from our place. While not the flashest of gyms, it has plenty of bikes, treadmills, cross-trainers, and rowing ergometers, plus more weight machines then I can shake a stick at. While usually avoiding the rowing machines (too many years of utilizing them has turned me off a bit), I was forced to partake in this activity when I found all my usual cardio equipment occupied by the busy Monday night rush. Upon sitting down, I noticed a forty-something year old man/father standing next to his presumed teenage son who was playing around on the ergometer. The teenager had the handle bar and chain stretched to it’s absolute limit over and above his head while he cranked on the handles seemingly attempting to accomplish some low split rate on the monitor. Culminating in his success, his father gave him a congratulatory slap on the back at which point I felt compelled to speak up and inform them that playing around on the ergometer in such a manner could potentially ruin the machine and break the chain and buggy that provides its spring. The father's prompt reply was, “Oh, the bungee? That can be replaced.” I couldn’t believe my ears. It’s not as if the YMCA has endless funds to be replacing equipment that members destroy while horsing around, evidenced by the fact that two current pieces of equipment have been out of commission for the last month awaiting technicians to come repair them. I was really infuriated by the scenario. I’m not sure which bothered me more: his nonchalant manner towards borrowed equipment, or that he was modeling an attitude of disrespect for his teenage son. And we wonder by there’s so much trouble in the world.