The moment the light turned green, I was blasted by the horn of the car behind me.

An impatient driver could not give me even a second to make sure no one was running the red light, which, unfortunately, happens all too often.

On Labor Day, as my husband and I walked through a quiet cemetery where we clean up litter a few times a week, we were startled and confused to hear the peaceful silence shattered by what sounded like a horn that had become stuck in some unseen vehicle.

No such luck. It was the horn of a pickup truck stopped behind our car on the dirt road.

Apparently the driver was planning to cut down some trees and was impatient to get started, despite the holiday.

Although a quick toot of the horn, or even calling out to us, would have alerted us to the presence of someone else in the cemetery, the driver chose to lean on the horn for minutes, even after we started walking back toward our car.

Is it my imagination, or are people getting ruder? If so, why?

By now almost everyone has heard about the recent ugly incidents on commercial airplanes, where fights erupted over reclining seats.

Personally, I don't think any seats on planes or buses should be capable of reclining. But since the seats do recline, I have to make the best of the situation when I travel.

Although I never recline my seat, I have been the victim of travelers who do, usually without turning around and asking first.

When fellow passengers ignore my polite requests to give me a little more space, I don't resort to throwing drinks or screaming or disrupting other passengers. I just deal with it. This, too, shall pass, I tell myself.

Life is overflowing with frustrations and problems and challenges. The key to anger management is the ability to take these ups and downs in stride.

How we choose to cope with life's annoyances is what separates adults from tantrum-throwing children.

Or, as a favorite scripture in the Old Testament says, it is what separates the foolish from the wise.

"A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control," declares Proverbs 29:11.

Amen.

People who create a spectacle when they don't get their way look foolish. Lately, it seems more and more people are acting like fools.

Uncontrolled rage is becoming all too common in our society. I'm sure most of us have witnessed exaggerated, inappropriate displays of anger somewhere recently, perhaps on the road or in a grocery store or gas station line.

It is hoped none of us are the perpetrators of such behavior, because anger can move us one step closer to the grave.

According to medical studies, anger, like smoking and high cholesterol, increases the risk of developing heart disease.

Such hostility also leads to unhealthy isolation in many cases, as family members and friends choose to retreat from frequent violent outbursts.

I wonder whether the enraged, impatient folks we encounter recognize the direct link between mind and body.

Anyone who wishes to rid himself or herself of chronic anger would be wise to try some techniques the experts have deemed successful: exercise, yoga, meditation, biofeedback, psychotherapy, humor and support groups.

Not only can such steps lead to better health, they can improve one's relationships, too.

It's time to heed the wisdom of the proverbs of old.

It's time to grow up.

It's time to act nice, even if sinister thoughts are bubbling up inside.

And surely it is time to disconnect the short fuse that leads directly to a time bomb waiting to destroy our lives.