Yet another thought…

The Cheshire Cat 2003-12-30 17:52:22 ET I understand it now. People don't want to wait 'til they're dead to enjoy oblivion... They can be oblivious RIGHT NOW!!! Case in point: The TTC!

Sybarite 2003-12-30 17:54:20 ET mew? what happened?

The Cheshire Cat 2003-12-31 03:51:42 ET Oh, I could go on for hours about the whole thing. People standing in front of train doors but not getting off, barging the doors when they open (making it hard for people to get off), leaving little or no room to menoeuvre on the platforms, not taking off backpacks when getting on busses or trains.... the list is endless and I encoutered all of them in an hour of commuting. Mass groupings of people are purely ignorant of their surrounding. So consumed with "I" that they have little or no regard for anyone else. How about when that lady fell onto the tracks at Yonge station? No one moved to help her, not until a guy, about 23, jumped down to save her from the train that was coming. He even asked "What the fuck is wrong with these people?". Y'know, I rant about the fall of civilization being visibly apparent from the movies, tv and music (and horrid combinations of all three), but I seldom stop to say anything about the morons I encounter each and every single day on the TTC. And I'm sure it's the same in New York, Chicago, Montreal, London, Moscow... okay, maybe not London or Moscow. I mean, I know we walk around with lots of thoughts in our heads, troubles, stresses, worries, that it's easy to get deep in thought, but just carry a certain amount of awareness. I listen to my iPod and still have 1000 times the awareness of anybody else on the subway. Not to mention courtesy. And I try to set an example, by waiting til everyone has got off the train before I get on, but no one notices. No one cares. This is what has me really pissed lately. That no one cares for anybody else is a big reason why society is going down the shitter. Probably the biggest of reasons. Oblivion. It's a great place, so why should you wait to die to enjoy it?

Sybarite 2003-12-31 07:11:00 ET *nods* People, for the most part, are really inconsiderate and are far too consumed with their own petty little issues to care about anyone else around them. Just a couple of weeks ago, I was at a grocery store, and this -ancient- Indian woman dropped a bunch of change. I helped her pick it up, but no-one else bothered to help or even gave her a second glance. It makes me wonder where attributes like kindness and compassion have gone.. ..and yet, with the earthquake tragedy in Iran, Torontonians came up with so many blankets and warm clothes to send overseas that now there's a surplus to be given to the homeless. odd, neh?

The Cheshire Cat 2003-12-31 08:52:12 ET To that I say this: When there is a collective agreement to help an entire nation, Canadians, no matter where they are, rise to the challenge and prove to be models of selflessness. That's a foreign outlook. It's almost as if the general populace will help others on a large scale, but when you get down to a more intimate level it's more "everyone for themselves" attitude. Torontonians, bit by bit, are becoming more and more American. We're no longer in this together. People are in it for themselves.

Sybarite 2003-12-31 09:21:27 ET *sighs softly* So all we can really do is do our personal best not to fall into that category.

Return to The Cheshire Cat's page