We all have our little comfort zones, the space we need to breathe and to be ourselves, both literally and figuratively. This zone can quickly become a “discomfort zone” should we have an unwelcomed intruder that breaks the sanctity of our personal space.
In crowded, enclosed spaces like the jam packed morning train ride to town, it is inevitable that we have to negotiate a space compromise, as there is only that little standing room to go around. It is either we lose the sanctity or we lose our sanity, often a mix of both!
Just a few pointers here to make the sardine experience more bearable for all:
1) If the train is packed, keep your phones in your bag!
Your focus when standing in a crowded train is to keep your balance and find something fixed to hold, not putting up a circus tight rope act while juggling your device in your hands. Using your phone takes up space, leaving less of it to go around, and leaving your precious device in danger of being accidentally swiped and dropped.
2) Bring your haversacks to the front
Spare a thought for the person behind you, and stop sticking your bag into their face. It also helps to reduce the risk of you getting your bag pickpocketed from behind.
3) Look around and be more aware of your surroundings.
I say again… Put your phones away!!! With the number of people using their phones on the train, it has practically become a moving microwave missile, with the multiple 4G 5G or however many Gs of our cell phones causing goodness knows what kind of havoc to the cellular health of the commuters within.
With our eyes peeled to our phones, it is a pickpocketer’s or pervert’s paradise. Even if we get perpetrated, we would be blissfully unaware.
We also need to be more aware of the space we take up and the possible inconvenience or discomfort we may be causing to the people around us. Let’s be a more gracious society!
A few days ago, I was queuing up at a food stall to purchase my lunch, and this big guy behind me in the queue kept bumping into me from behind with his pot belly, at least 4 times! It was incredible, I mean, don’t you have nerves in your belly area? Wouldn’t you know that you are bumping the person in front? Why must you stand so close? I was very tempted to turn around and to give that flabby belly a poke and say, “Hey dude, your kid in there seems to like me a lot, he keeps giving me high fives from inside your belly!”
Belly uncomfortable indeed!
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