Life By The Window Seat

In  the previous month, I had the good fortune to take a break from work to tour the beautiful country of BELGIUM. My entire family was travelling together and we had a spectacular vacation. But at the same time, a few things made me feel sad.....not personally, but for the state of the people back home. The small, non-specific things that I saw from the windows of the bus, tram & trains that I commuted in, made me realize how certain things which are actually taken for granted in that country might actually be a luxury in ours!!!

The first mode of transport was a TAXI. Seated comfortably in the back seat, I had all the time in the world to observe the routine lives that people led outside. The one thing that struck me was how the pedestrians are respected. Every passing vehicle stopped in order to allow a pedestrian to cross the road at a zebra-crossing or even otherwise. Instantly, I thought of the struggle we go through to cross a road back home. Absolutely nobody respects pedestrians enough to let them cross unhindered.

The next experience was that at a BUS STOP. The bus driver was extremely patient when my elderly father took some time to board the bus. When my brother tried to push his baby's stroller on board, the bus actually tilted toward him to make it easier. Apparently, this system is also used to facilitate people in wheelchairs to board the bus. Now, how many times have we seen such things happening back home? I remembered the nasty BEST driver screaming at a senior citizen when they took some time to board a bus. If you have a wheelchair or baby stroller, there's no way you can board a bus in Mumbai.... isn't that kinda unfair to certain citizens of this state???

Through the window of my APARTMENT, I saw people spending evenings with their friends and family at local parks, cafes and restaurants. Hardly anyone was working past 7pm.....not even the local grocers. That time was meant for family and friends(socializing). This helps the person relax, leave behind the stress of daily work and build stronger bonds with near & dear ones. All I remember about Mumbai, is people constantly in a hurry to get to work, no time for socializing, frustration due to long work hours, as a result people getting either depressed or angry. The loneliness that builds over the years pushes one to desperation....literally.

What I wondered is this......why such a drastic difference in the attitudes in these two lands?? We are all creations of the same Almighty, then why this indifference to the sufferings of others of our kind?? These are the questions that troubled me as a stared at "Life By The Window Seat"

                                       ------ By MocktailMommy Prasanna

 ‘This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.’