Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Be reasonable

Ever since I read a forum letter in the Sunday Times (9-10-2005), I have been feeling a little agitated. It was the letter about a lady who wrote in to say how a bunch of university students were just looking at her as she stood in front of them with her child in her arms in the public bus. There were no seats and these uni students didn't give up their seats to her. She then wondered wat was wrong with education and morals. Ok, just a minute here...What is with the questioning of education and morals? Just because they didn't give up their seat to her, they are immediately people with low values and morals? You can judge a person based on his behaviour for a short minute? I mean why should anybody feel compelled to give up their seat?

Now my feelings would be totally different if in the place of this lady was an elderly person or someone who is visually handicapped. If you have an elderly person standing in front of you and you just carry on sitting, then seriously, something is wrong with you and you probably need a mental check-up.

But the case of this lady is totally whacked up. I mean people have reasons for not giving up their seats...Like back injuries or other such reasons. Remember, just because a person is of a youthful age, does not mean he/she cannot be ill, lethargic, etc. With the school load of today, I am shocked at how many junior college people can actually stand in the bus for an hour-long journey after school and not faint from exhaution. I am not dissing this lady but merely am disgusted that she has to question the education system and all for a simple thing like that. Hello Ppl!! We have bigger things to be worrying about.

I mean just because somebody has a kid in their arms, it does not mean it is a ticket to a seat. If the public expected young people (teens and young adults) to immediately give up their seats for such incidents, then why don't they just place a sign that says " Youths are not allowed to sit". Both are driving at the same thing anyway. Last time I checked everybody (except kids and senior citizens) is paying the same fare. So come on be reasonable yeah and don't expect people to give up their seats just coz they fall into the category of a youth.