During my recent vacation, I decided to travel by train. The train was delayed. Having no other alternative, I chose to wait on the platform. While waiting, I started to observe my surroundings. I noticed people running towards the train they had to catch. Even the people carrying heavy luggage on their heads were moving along pretty fast. They had a train to catch.
This station is one of the biggest in the state. So, the trains probably stop for a decent amount of time for everyone to board calmly. But even then, people were rushing, paying no attention to other people around them. Aged people were pushed aside for walking slowly – some of them grew angry, others scared. Parents tightly held on to their children, fearing the sudden rush and the massive crowd.
This situation made me realise how human beings have become selfish and impatient. Not even once did anyone look back to check on the elderly woman to see if she was all right. No one noticed the terror in the eyes of a father holding on to his daughter, thinking that he must not let go.
We all have relationships and we all care for them in our own little way. We feel hurt and enraged when somebody misbehaves with our loved ones. Then why is it that we become ignorant when it comes to other people?
This incident made me realise the ugly truth of human beings. Even I was a part of the crowd. I felt sick upon realising that even I must have, at some point in time, been the cause of fear to an aged mother, father or maybe even a child. I felt helpless for I was unable to do anything for anyone. I felt weak.
But one thing was clear to me that day – ‘I’ didn’t want to be a part of such a crowd. ‘I’ wanted to change.
But is such a change possible? I know that a single ‘I’ sounds insignificant when we talk about the crowd. But we have to understand that the ‘crowd’ is made up of numerous ‘I’s. If every ‘I’ in the ‘crowd’ realise this, then change is possible.
Whether you want to be the reason for someone’s happiness or their fear, the choice is yours.