The 2007 film No Nation for Outdated Males is the story of an previous man who stands for values whereas the youthful males appear to behave in keeping with their needs. “My will is regulation” describes this greatest.
Just lately, whereas travelling, I used to be left feeling that certainly our nation is not any nation for previous individuals.
Each my accomplice and I look our age, extra so my accomplice who has silver hair. We have been to catch a flight, and as luck would have it, the flight was delayed. The unusual factor is that the workers on the airways counter didn’t advise us that the flight was delayed, though the boarding cross they gave us confirmed the brand new time. We realised the delay solely after we had reached the allotted gate.
We went to have lunch however all of the consuming locations within the airport have been full and we needed to hold strolling till we discovered an consuming place the place there was one chair obtainable. We have been about to take our place when out of the blue a teen from a desk close by dragged away the chair to seat his pal. We may solely stare in disbelief.
After an inordinately very long time, we discovered a desk and had lunch. We then proceeded to the gate and located the flight was additional delayed. We tried to discover a place to sit down within the journey lounge the place sure membership members and bank card holders have entry. The queue to enter the lounge was serpentine and we gave up.
On returning to the gate space, we couldn’t discover vacant seats. We noticed three seats which have been occupied by baggage left by travellers apparently to order the seat. Our first impulse was to position the baggage on the ground and occupy two seats, however neighbours mentioned the seats have been taken. Senior residents like us have been strolling the aisles of the airport looking for seats whereas kids beat them to it smugly.
Boarding was one other saga, because the queue was not being adopted and my recommendation to the queue jumpers elicited nasty appears. Throughout the bus trip to the plane, senior residents have been left standing and clinging to the bus’s overhead straps for expensive life, whereas able-bodied youthful people sat unheeding.
After we boarded the flight, though we had front-row seats, we discovered that travellers seated a couple of rows behind us had stashed their luggage within the overhead bins meant for us. After we requested the airline crew for assist, they mentioned they might assist us retrieve the baggage on arrival and to position our luggage a couple of rows behind. Not a single younger particular person helped us with inserting the baggage within the bins. And as we had feared, upon arrival, different travellers rushed out, with out giving us an opportunity to gather our luggage. When reminded of her promise, the airline workers shrugged. When my accomplice tried to cease the speeding avalanche of travellers to retrieve our luggage, he was informed rudely by a lot youthful travellers that they have been in a rush because it was late.
This was a flight expertise. Boarding a bus or perhaps a prepare is an ordeal of the worst form. Even boarding a elevate in any constructing in India is nothing wanting an ordeal, for ladies and the disabled, particularly throughout peak hours. One should expertise the shoving, pushing, jostling to consider that residents can behave on this method. One is appalled on the lack of civic sense of even educated workplace goers who typically behave like goons. I as soon as watched how they have been holding up an worker in a wheelchair and chided the others to make manner, however was greeted with indignant retorts of “Hum bhi late ho rahein hain!”
I’ve all the time made it some extent to supply my seat within the airport or the airport bus to older individuals, and to step apart politely for senior residents or the in another way abled to board. So what has modified? Have we introduced up the following technology to be an unfeeling, uncaring, egocentric technology who can’t suppose past ‘I, Me, Myself’?
I’ve a couple of ideas to share which can make a distinction:
The opposite day, I watched a video of schoolchildren in Japan doing function performs of bus journey. The kids have been being taught look after the aged, pregnant girls, girls with infants, little youngsters and the disabled. They’d quit their seat or assist the passenger right into a seat. I consider that such early coaching is why in the course of the latest incident of fireplace in a Japanese plane, the travellers adopted directions calmly and evacuated in an orderly method. Why don’t we now have such coaching in our colleges?
The queue system should be enforced in any respect locations resembling airports, bus and prepare stations, railway or film tickets reservation counters, meals counters, and pharmacies, and the suitable authorities should guarantee this.
Within the US, I’ve seen males holding doorways open for ladies. On the elevator, everybody waits patiently to board, and so they greet even strangers with a heat smile and a superb morning/night. We don’t see a ‘pehle essential, baad mein aap’ mindset there, which is greater than I can say for us right here, having seen the uncivil manner wherein we frequently behave. Why not attempt to inculcate kindness and politeness consciously, simply as we practise yoga?
Honesty begins at dwelling. So additionally do kindness, politeness and self-discipline. Mother and father and grandparents should emphasise these mushy expertise and set an instance.
Now that India is ageing, the economic system will depend upon spending by senior residents in future, and for that except civic sense prevails, senior journey might not choose up. We’ve had campaigns for a lot of issues, resembling ‘Boycott Maldives’ and ‘Gentle 5 diyas for Diwali’. Why can’t India Inc and the federal government run campaigns on kindness, self-discipline and honesty?
These are only a few anguished ideas from a newly-minted senior citizen who hopes to see our nation as a rustic full of lovely pleased, form and caring residents.
lakshmi.r.srinivas@gmail.com
