Sometimes, I really like people
Apr. 19th, 2006 10:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dangermousieA co-worker and I were taking a late train home tonight. Everyone was tired. It was late, the train was very crowded, and everyone's had to wait for it a very long time.
Between the second and the third stop, we realized there was a commotion a few feet back. I turned and saw a woman ask her neighbor, a blond, 50-something woman who appeared to have fainted: head thrown back, mouth open, wide eyes, "are you OK? are you OK?" repeatedly. Two other people were also around the passenger, a man and a woman in their thirties. They were trying to rouse her and give her some water to drink. Then someone else suggested pushing the intercom to talk to the conductor. And even though it was late and crowded, no one grumbled, instead someone else pushed the button in all haste. However, this being Metro, the intercom wasn't working, so at the next stop, the man who was trying to take care of the woman and who was getting off, stood in the doors, waving his hands wildly, so that the doors wouldn't close and then finally went to find a station manager. Which he did, and the conductor made the announcement that the train would be holding momentarily. Still, no passenger acted upset, and just looked concerned.
Then, when the station manager appeared, and the woman (who had come to by that point, but was still weak and woozy) started apologizing, the manager just helped her up and told her "that is what we are here for." Meanwhile, I saw the woman who was one of the people trying to roust the lady initially give some money to her daughter (who she was travelling with and who was about 15) and told her to get home and that she (the mother) was going to get home somehow. Apparently she was a nurse, and she was going to stay with the woman until she was either taken to a hospital or got better, I presume (the station manager was of course quite happy). And then, when the train finally moved, the conductor apologized for the delay and told everyone that he will get them to their destination as soon as possible.
Sometimes, when you live in a big city, people are rude. They jump ahead of you and take the last seat. They graffitti four letter words on the sidewalk. They talk loudly into their cellphone in crowd of tired strangers. But then there are the other times. None of the people who helped the woman had any connection to her. Not the Nurse who disrupted her own evening plans, not the Conductor or the Station Manager, not any of the other passengers who tried to help. They just happened to be in that car on in that station. Yet they all eagerly and efficiently helped this woman they did not know in the slightest. All the passengers on that train, who were tired, and stuck in a very crowded train, and had to wait for this train for forever in the first place, so were probably pretty eager to get where they were going, didn't know her either. Yet no one complained or grumbled or looked put out. Sometimes, people are just plain nice.
Between the second and the third stop, we realized there was a commotion a few feet back. I turned and saw a woman ask her neighbor, a blond, 50-something woman who appeared to have fainted: head thrown back, mouth open, wide eyes, "are you OK? are you OK?" repeatedly. Two other people were also around the passenger, a man and a woman in their thirties. They were trying to rouse her and give her some water to drink. Then someone else suggested pushing the intercom to talk to the conductor. And even though it was late and crowded, no one grumbled, instead someone else pushed the button in all haste. However, this being Metro, the intercom wasn't working, so at the next stop, the man who was trying to take care of the woman and who was getting off, stood in the doors, waving his hands wildly, so that the doors wouldn't close and then finally went to find a station manager. Which he did, and the conductor made the announcement that the train would be holding momentarily. Still, no passenger acted upset, and just looked concerned.
Then, when the station manager appeared, and the woman (who had come to by that point, but was still weak and woozy) started apologizing, the manager just helped her up and told her "that is what we are here for." Meanwhile, I saw the woman who was one of the people trying to roust the lady initially give some money to her daughter (who she was travelling with and who was about 15) and told her to get home and that she (the mother) was going to get home somehow. Apparently she was a nurse, and she was going to stay with the woman until she was either taken to a hospital or got better, I presume (the station manager was of course quite happy). And then, when the train finally moved, the conductor apologized for the delay and told everyone that he will get them to their destination as soon as possible.
Sometimes, when you live in a big city, people are rude. They jump ahead of you and take the last seat. They graffitti four letter words on the sidewalk. They talk loudly into their cellphone in crowd of tired strangers. But then there are the other times. None of the people who helped the woman had any connection to her. Not the Nurse who disrupted her own evening plans, not the Conductor or the Station Manager, not any of the other passengers who tried to help. They just happened to be in that car on in that station. Yet they all eagerly and efficiently helped this woman they did not know in the slightest. All the passengers on that train, who were tired, and stuck in a very crowded train, and had to wait for this train for forever in the first place, so were probably pretty eager to get where they were going, didn't know her either. Yet no one complained or grumbled or looked put out. Sometimes, people are just plain nice.
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Date: 2006-04-20 03:24 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2006-04-20 04:38 pm (UTC)Cute, aren't they?
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Date: 2006-04-20 04:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-20 03:52 pm (UTC)Bob
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Date: 2006-04-20 04:36 pm (UTC)