The Fading Art of Being Courteous

Recently, I was travelling by city bus. Most of the passengers were students from different higher education institutions in the locality, and a few village folk

- TESSY JACOB SSPS

Although it was not too crowded, all the seats were occupied throughout the journey. At one bus stop, an elderly, fragile, shabby man, with the support of a stick, boarded the bus. He hung onto the rods as the bus progressed. Since he was standing few seats behind me, I didn’t see him until the bus jumped a pothole. He groaned in pain and that attracted my attention, so I offered my seat to him. That little action made him feel delighted and so honoured that he kept thanking me.

Automation has overtaken a good part of our social senses and moral duties. We live in a world which disseminates masses of information, social awareness and tips for capacity-building of all sorts, yet we fail to regard the person next to us. Most often we experience a disconnection with the reality around us. The digital technology-driven world has diverted our capacities of living fully as human beings. We go with the preferences and ‘my types’.

Atithi Devo Bhava