Earlier today, I got on my usual jeep from banking errands to home. There were about four people other on board. I took the seat closest to the door, more out of convenience than anything else. There was a girl who was already on board, in the space ahead of me.
As the jeep drove on, I couldn’t scoot up to the driver. I asked other passengers there to pass on my fare. They politely ignored me. With a little more urging in my tone, I asked the girl next to me to pass my fare. She seemed to give me a withering look, and scooted towards the front, complaining, “Ang layo ha.” – this is far.
I wouldn’t have bothered her if she were, letsay, asleep on the road. I would have understood her irritation a little more if she were to get down at the next stop or before me, but she didn’t. I got down first, the girl stayed on.
In that one instance, I saw the problem on our level. We may not be at fault with the key problems we have as a city, and as a country even. But there are too many of us who refuse to pass on what we need to pass on. There are too many of us who refuse to close the gap between us, even if it just made simple sense to do so, even if the gap is a mere feet apart from where one sits or stands.