I was walking through downtown Boston the other day and got annoyed as heck. There’s a lot of traffic in Boston — and we all know about the Boston drivers — but I realized, with great annoyance, that the reason the traffic was so bad is because of the pedestrians.

It seems that every pedestrian in Boston believes it is his or her right to cross any street, any time, no matter what traffic signals, walk signs or policemen have to say about it. So I got to an intersection and the walk sign gave me the big orange hand. And like a good pedestrian, I stopped. This was not true of everyone else. They’d get to the curb, not even bother looking to see if cars were coming, and walk into the road assuming that drivers would stop to let them pass. This, of course, absolutely destroyed the flow of traffic. Cars started honking, lines of traffic backed up and tempers rose. But that makes it all sound like the problem is totally New Age-y, can’t we all just get along. Not my point. Let’s take a look at all of the economic stressors caused by bad pedestrian behavior: longer commute times, increased use of gasoline, higher stress levels, increased vehicle-pedestrian and vehicle-vehicle accidents, reduced working hours and productivity, increased CO2 emissions. Geeze, it really seems to me that if we could just solve the pedestrian crossing the street in heavy traffic problem, we actually might see some true bottom-line benefit.

The Social Age is about living as PART of a society — local, national and global. Being aware of one’s surrounding, the needs of self as well as the needs of others and a lack of thoughtless, self-absorbed behavior are what we need to develop in order to effect change in the world. The interesting thing is that some very simple everyday things could be modified through awareness that could really make a difference.

So I’ve decided to make a list of my Top 5 Most Annoying Things That Can Be Fixed in The Social Age. This list contains everyday activities that, with a little Social Age self-awareness, just might make life kinder, more efficient, more sustainable, more economical and safer for all.

Please feel free to add your comments and additions to the list below!

Number 5: My Street is Not Your Ashtray
How many times have you been walking down the street when someone near you tosses their lit cigarette butt onto the sidewalk? Or even worse, people who throw lit cigarettes from their cars? The Ocean Conservancy, a nonprofit environmental organization based in Washington, D.C., compiled the results of a worldwide shoreline cleanup day conducted by volunteers in 2006. Of the 7.7 million items of debris collected, cigarettes and cigarette butts accounted for roughly 1.9 million, the sixth consecutive year they have topped the list. And according to the National Fire Protection Association, cigarette-caused fires result in more than 1,000 civilian deaths, 3,000 critical injuries (many among firefighters), and $400 million in direct property damage each year. Isn’t this just insane? I’ve read that in Japan they have portable ashtray tubes that collect not just the butt, but the ash as well. Most of us are civilized enough to not through our McDonald’s container out the car window. Why are cigarette butts any different? So do me a favor. Keep your butts to yourself. Or tell the guy who just tossed his to keep his butts to himself. I’m tired of walking down the street and stamping out a smoking butt. I’ve got better things to do with my time. So do you.

Number 4: Do Me a Favor, Let Me Know Before You Cut Me Off
Using your turn signal in your car is not just courteous, it’s smart. Whether you are traveling down a 4 lane highway or turning into the local strip mall, alerting other drivers to your intentions can help you avoid costly accidents and hurting others. It also makes you a more alert driver which most certainly leads to a reduction in accidents which, in turn, could potentially lead to more competitive car insurance costs and more innovation car insurance legislation. Personally, I can’t stand when I’m driving behind someone who is driving their stick shift car, talking on the phone and making a left turn from the right-hand lane all with no turn signal. The fact that they didn’t kill themselves (or me) is just short of a miracle (BTW, this is a true story). So do me (and all of us) a favor. Let me know before you cut me off.

Number 3: Airplane Travel is a Group Experience. Please Act Accordingly
I fly a fair bit, and being the social entrepreneur that I am, I definitely fly economy class. We’ve all noticed the amazingly painful downfall in the airline industry recently. Between rising oil prices, flight delays, over-crowded flights and traffic lanes, long security lines and an aging air fleet, flying has become a real hassle. But there’s one thing we as customers can do to make it better. How many times have you been on a plane that’s been delayed and has landed way later than expected and you’re in row 26 knowing it will take FOREVER for the rows in front of you to clear out. I’ve certainly been there. And there’s something I think we can do about it.

First off, let’s all agree — airline passage is a strange thing. You sleep next to someone you’ve never met before and have to share air, bathrooms, storage space and personal space with 200+ strangers. The close quarters on an airplane provide the best possible place to practice Social Age values. Don’t talk loud and annoy everyone around you. Cover your mouth when you cough. Don’t hog the arm rest. But perhaps most importantly, don’t make me later than I already am.

There are some pretty simple rules about air travel that if we all followed, would make the whole experience so much easier. Have your boarding pass out when you go through security. Board when your row is called. Move out of the aisle when you reach your seat so others can pass by you. Put your small items under the seat in front of you saving the overhead storage for people who actually need it. These are all pretty much no brainers. But here’s one that makes me ballistic: after a long flight, the plane lands and we’re all ready to get off the plane and uncramped as soon as possible. When the seatbelt sign turns off, many people stand up and prepare to de-plane. Then there’s always that one person, or couple or family, who decide not to think about de-planing until it is their turn. The rows in front of them are clearing out at a pace, and when it is there turn to go, that’s the moment they decide to collect their personal belongings, get their bags out of the overhead bins, check their seat pockets and finally start down the aisle. They are oblivious to the people behind them whose patience is wearing thin since they have been ready to go since 4 rows ahead. Tempers flare, airplane turn-around times are prolonged, airline on-time records go to hell and the emotional and monetary price of air travel go up.

This to me is completely avoidable if people could learn to be more aware of WE and less self-absorbed about ME while in the small confines of an airplane. The same principle applies to movie theatres, lecture halls and other crowded venues. So take a minute. Adjust your perspective. Think about how your actions affect those around you. It’s all pretty simple. So next time you’re on a plane, think about the folks behind you too. It will turn out better for all of us.

Number 2: That Yellow Light Means Slow Down, Not Speed Up
If I ever run for public office (which I promise I will never do), I will run on a one-issue platform — a yellow traffic light means slow down! Actually, according to a variety of sources I have found out that 1) a steady yellow traffic light means the traffic light is about to change to red and you must stop if is safe to do so and 2) that a yellow light means proceed with caution. Yeah, well again, these all feel like touchy-feely reasons to not blast through the yellow, but it turns out there’s a more practical reasons too. We are all aware that in case where you are at an intersection without a left turn signal, that drivers use the time after approaching cars have stopped to make a left turn. If approaching cars continue zooming forward through the yellow stage of the traffic light, then the left-hand turners are forced to turn once the light has turned red. This delays the movement of cross traffic, interferes with pedestrian walking patterns and generally causes havoc. Anyway, where are you rushing off to anyway? If you’re not rushing to the hospital for an emergency, then just leave your house 5 minute earlier and avoid the stress, the rushing and the blasting through yellow lights.

Which leads me back to my Number 1 annoying thing that can be fixed in The Social Age:

Number 1: That Orange Hand Means STOP
See the first paragraph of this post.

So what’s the point of all of this? I don’t want it to sounds like a rant (though it might). I just want to challenge each of you to see if you are a perpetrator of any of these social “crimes”. Check out your driving, street walking and other public behavior. Do you shout when talking on your cell phone in public? Are you mean to waiters? Do you suddenly stop in the middle of a hall or sidewalk causing people to nearly crash into you? Take a look at the world around you and let me know some more things we could fix in The Social Age.