I thought I was getting more open-minded as I got older. Until I saw this at the shops

July 23, 2026 — 5:00am

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As I have edged past middle age and moved towards, well, later middle age, I have noticed myself becoming less judgmental. I don’t care about a person’s life choices, as long as they are nice human and do no harm to others.

Just the other day, for example, I was listening to a podcast about polyamory as I was climbing the escalator at my local Westfield. Wouldn’t be my cup of tea, I thought, as a woman described her relationships with her three partners, but hey, good for her!

As I congratulated myself on my open-mindedness, I spotted a man standing on the wrong side of the escalator, blocking my path. What a moron, I thought, as I stomped pointedly around him. How hard is it to stand to the left?

I realised, at that moment, that I have found myself in a rather contradictory state of mind. As much as I wholeheartedly accept people from all walks of life, I will turn on them in an instant if they inconvenience me in any way.

I am both wonderfully compassionate and intensely intolerant. You breastfed your son until he was eight and you only eat white foods? My, how fascinating. You do you! You stand........

© The Sydney Morning Herald