So I was sitting on a regular seat (not a priority seat) on the MRT.* I had my backpack, my basketball, and a hot coffee with me. (I was not drinking the coffee. I see people bring drinks onto the MRT all the time, so I assume drinks are okay as long as you don't drink them while you are on the MRT.)
On the way home, an older man and his wife entered the train. The old man was wearing a shirt and pants that were made of the same material. The shirt and pants both were black with grey stripes, and like many old people (and one of my students), his pants were pulled way up, past his navel. He looked kind of funny. He had a piece of luggage on wheels. I would guess that he was in his mid- to late 60s at most. He didn't seem physically decrepit. His wife seemed a bit less rugged physically. One of her eyes didn't work well.
The old man stood in front of me for one stop, and then he moved to the glass partition next to my seat and leaned against it. I wondered if I should offer my seat. His wife was far away; she was standing and holding onto the bar on the ceiling. She seemed fine with where she was. I thought that I posed a significant risk to other train riders if I were to stand up. There was a good chance that I would drop my basketball or spill my coffee. Comparatively, the old man didn't seem at risk of falling down or getting tired.
The two women next to me on the row of seats talked to each other animatedly. The woman right next to me had two bags full of bakery goods. The woman to her right was unencumbered. The man in the seat across from me was studying; all he had was a book and a small bag.
Despite the inconvenience it would have caused me, I strongly considered giving my seat to the old man. Should I have? Should someone near me have offered the seat instead of me? It's strange that a situation like this can seem so difficult. (I also felt bad when I got up to leave, for the old man immediately took my seat, as if he were waiting all the time for me to get up.) I'm sure, though, that, had I given the man my seat, I would have spilled hot coffee on his wife and perhaps hit her in the face with my basketball on accident, so I think I made the right choice.
*Starting a sentence with "so" is a form of storytelling "in media res" or "in the middle of things." This mean you start telling the story after things have already started to happen. In this case, I start my story after already getting on the MRT; normally, I would start by telling you, "I got on the MRT."
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3 comments:
It's so easy to be caught in such a dilemma while being a commuter, taking public transportations here in Taiwan.
Honestly, we have been taught since kids to give up seats, either regular or prior, to those who are inconvenience or aged passengers. Often people take this as necessary, even though they're themselves incomfortable enough to yield their seats.
For my own expriences, I would always immidiately stand up when noticing that someone may have a requirement of the seat.
Hmm, this can be a good discussion topic of cultural differences, ha =)
Thanks for the reply. It's interesting to see that the need to give up one's seat is programmed to be automatic no matter what your own circumstances are. I wonder if the strictness of the rule is what makes so many young people reject the rule entirely and resort to things like pretending to be asleep when an elder enters the train.
In the interest of English instruction:
"inconvenienced"
"uncomfortable"
"In my own experiences"
"immediately"
"may need the seat" (don't be too wordy）
And to correct myself...
"one's own circumstances"
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