ugly
Our little ugly side.. is usually kept hidden away from the eyes of others. Usually. However I find that here in our little island our ugly side is paraded in front of others more often than not. Sure, let's not overlook those who do charity from the goodness of their hearts. We also shouldn't overlook those small kind acts that people perform everyday. But the minute we see an ugly act surfacing we somehow forget about the good things.
Today, I was on the train towards Orchard MRT. Anyone who has taken the train there on weekend evenings would know how crowded the train and the station is. And how many people there are rushing to get out of the train. So, those who wait for the train should be WAITING right? Wrong. They're busy dashing into the train, allowing only a small passageway for people exiting the train to trickle out. Then they make those tsk sounds which seem to say, why are these people so slow! What if I miss my train! Well, rest assured. You won't miss your train. You're already on it! The people on the train should be the ones worrying that they miss their stop. This point has been brought up so many times it has become an extremely tired topic. But no matter how many times people talk about it, there's always reason to bring it up again. Now doesn't that say something? I used to be, and still am, one of those people who enjoy pushing their way out of the train, especially crashing into those people trying to bulldoze their way in when it's obvious a torrent of people are trying to get out. Seriously. Inconsiderate people deserve to be pushed and shoved and stepped on by a 100kg woman wearing stilettos.
Then, I walked to Paragon, and had to cross the street where cars were coming out of a carpark. Because it wasn't regulated by traffic lights, the poor cars had to wait and wait and wait for people to stop before they could get out onto the road. So there was this guy, he had waited for a pretty long time already, and still no one was letting him out. I stood there and waited with him, waited to let him drive out before I crossed the street. In the past, I would have just followed everyone across. I mean, who cares about the driver. But ever since I've gotten my license I realise how frustrating this is. So, I wait. And once the street was clear, the guy in the car started to move off, probably thinking FINALLY! when this crazy guy just comes out of nowhere and strolls casually across the street, right in front of the car. This guy wasn't a punk or anything, he was a shirt and tie kind of guy. So obviously, he's had some education. Obviously not enough. So he takes his evening stroll across the street, and I think maybe he's got something on so he can't afford to wait. Fair enough. When I finally get across the street, I'm distracted by someone ringing a bell. It's the icecream cart bell! Yum. I let my attention wander a bit, and guess who I see.. Yup, our friend Mr Shirt and Tie kind of guy. Buying ice cream. And I'm thinking, this guy couldn't wait for the car to pass first? He has absolutely no common courtesy and seriously mixed up priorities.
Of course, I'm not saying I'm the paradigm of good moral behaviour. I just think that when we're in public, we need to be a little more considerate, more mindful of our surroundings. We don't live in a world where only we exist, we can't afford to live in such a selfish world. If we treat each other a little better, life will be so much happier.
