Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Restroom behavior for a better society

Inspite of all that people say about India, about pollution and dirt, there is a different emotional familiarity about  this dirt and pollution.. something different in the air.

The air has a warmth which envelops you in a motherly hug. So soft and so cozy.

As I came out of the airport, I loved the chaos. The only thing that bothered me was cleanliness, starting from the ladies restrooms at the airport. Ladies forget that they have to queue up as soon as they put their foot on indian grounds. We are trained to be the best. Okay, what do I mean by best here.. if I get to go to the toilet  before anyone else in the restroom, I am privileged. The same feeing lies for everything else, whether buying vegetables or buying tickets. People would jostle and push each other to get that one minute advantage. It makes us feel important. It's in our blood.


I had gone to a restaurant in California, where a party was going on. I was standing in queue at the ladies toilet when a lady with a small girl came and stood behind me. The girl must be around 4 years of age and was jumping up and down and it was quiet obvious she wanted to desperately go. As my turn came , I asked the lady whether she would like to take the kid before me. The lady politely and stiffly refused and told me its okay. She should go when her turn comes. She should wait for her turn. This incident struck me. This was the root of all this discipline. Discipline from childhood. Had she accepted she would have shown the child that she was more privileged than others n need not wait in line.

A society can be seen as chaotic or disciplined based on how people behave inside restrooms.

You might think I am being prejudiced towards my own kind. Some people might not like it. In fact if I were reading the same I might not like it. But this is the reality isn't it ? Most of us think this way. So the underlying question is why can't we improve ourselves. If each of us sheds his ego and sense of importance and consider everyone as equal, we would be a better society.

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