*Picture from http://fuzzyglass.com
Delhi is getting angrier by the minute. Even as you look on, a fellow mate may sprout horns on his head and have smoke come out of his nose. What’s worrying is that the anger bug is highly contagious, depressing and full of venom.
A magnificent car parked itself right in front of our gate the other day. So much so that we couldn’t open the gate to get inside, let alone drive our car in. What’s more, there was no driver, cleaner or decorator to be seen. Here’s the dialogue that followed, forty five minutes later:
You should have sneaked in through the window! We left our phone number there.
Don’t you think you shouldn’t have parked right in front of our gate?
We parked on the road. If it’s your gate, it’s not our headache.
The above, to the seventy-five year old man who is my granddad.
The anger bug is not the privilege of the rich and comfortable. I was in the Metro one day, barely managing to stand amid the sea of people in the coach. At Saket, a flurry of people waited to come in. When the doors opened, they pushed and shoved for all they were worth. Several retreated, deciding to take the next train. But several were in a hurry. Just like every day.
There is really no space – Meek passenger
There is plenty of space. If you would only move your limbs. And you (pointing at middle-aged lady sitting in a corner seat)! You are sitting comfortably. At least keep your feet to yourself. – Angry New Boarder
Might I add, the difference that the keeping-feet-to-herself eventually made produced space enough to fit a toenail.
The anger bug has far-reaching consequences, defiling our ability to apologize. A car hit another in Hauz Khas last Friday, in peak traffic hours. While there wasn’t damage, the owner of the victimized car protested meekly. Shouldn’t the other driver be more careful?
I said I was sorry! How many times need I say that?
Wow. Saying you’re sorry sounds like an act worthy of living in gratification for.
Perhaps, all this anger hints at the crumbling social fabric of our society. We are burdened by work, traumatized by the loss of emotions, unnerved by office politics and social hollowness. Anger, at least for a short while, lets us vent, blame everyone but ourselves and imagine being loud-voiced and abusive will translate into being right, or at least, being heard. Sadly, all that it translates into is speech and action we eventually regret.
Precisely why I advocate comfort food, stress balls, a solitary walk and a blog post when I feel like giving it to someone. Worth trying out, I tell you.
Of Paneer, Pulao and Pune 
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It’s the lack of empathy and kindness that allows for such behaviour. It is extremely sad indeed when such incidents are everywhere around us. Even without being a participant we end up carrying that negativity by only being a witness
Exactly, Anita. The negativity that all this brings is among the worst “disorders” of our times. The world seems to have degraded to the extent that an incident of kindness shines like a a rare gem, to be talked about with great pride. If only they weren’t so rare!
Very true. People everywhere are getting angrier by the minute. Road rage kills so many hapless people across the country. I shudder to get involved in an accident..more because of the people’s attitudes and the anger that comes to the fore. One guy in Bangalore murdered one person, because he overtook his car ! Can you beat that ? I think the solution lies is going inwards. We have become so materialistic and so time conscious that we don’t ‘live’ anymore. We are becoming less human as time passes by. We don’t have time for anything anymore… who has the time to be courteous to other people.
Incidents weirder and harder to digest keep coming up almost as if they are competing against each other. I read about this man who killed his roommate over 150 rupees. 150 rupees! And no theory on inflation and economic disparity can convince me that is a sum huge enough to kill!
You are right – we barely live anymore. We really need to re-prioritize and take stock of things before our race survives only in stock photos. Thanks a lot for dropping by! 🙂
It’s weird how humorous and sad this is, we just don’t have time for each other and everyone is going about their business and anyone who innocently and inadvertently tries to get in the way of that is in danger of being abused in some way or another. Indeed it’s patience that we lack, the very essence of where our anger stems from.
That’s very well put, Siyasakati. I agree with you completely; it is so weird it’s almost funny. We really need to do some thinking on our anger and the way abuse always lurks on the tongue, ready to be spewed out.
Thanks a lot for dropping by! 🙂
such an idiot!
Like Vishal and Biks have mentioned – we seem to have lost patience and civic sense!!!
Idiot is indeed the word Pixie! 😉 😀
The world has become a tough place to live in. Increasingly so by the minute.
Some people just lack the civic sense of making other people’s lives hell. Hope they take life a bit lightly and don’t make others’ life hell.
Amen. I pray your optimism holds good. 🙂
Some people really lack the sense, realizing little how they make the lives of people hell by parking in front of the gate. Where is our civic sense? Makes me wonder.
Agree, we need to be more patient and take life a lil bit easy.
Our civic sense has indeed gone for a toss, Vishal. We fail to remember we might be inconveniencing someone else and yet fret when we receive similar treatment.
What an Idiot.. who parked in front of the GATE.. If it was Me , I would have parked in front ofhis , so he could not get out.. I have some choice words for idiots like those but wont put them on your blog ..
I think more than anger its the PAtience which is running out , people are always in a hurry and hence blood pressure goes up when one sees they gonna be late and hence the anger ..
I am a very vary angry person seriously, blood pressure rockets up , but what i do now is , that earlier if I for example went to work at 8:05AM , I now leave at 7:55.. and it has made a world of difference, little things like the metro episode would not have bothered me at alll ..
and oh yes blog post does the trick too.. what would be iceing is to have put the pic of the car and the Driver or owner 🙂 I would love to do that .. like in my previous post Put the friends name ..
but hopefully will get that and that would be so sooooothingggggggg 🙂 he he he he
Bikram, I agree with you. Patience is indeed running out. I think we had less of it to begin with.
I like the travel example you mentioned. While I understand that people lead busy lives and have a multitude of things to do before leaving for work in the morning, I don’t think its impossible to try and leave 5 minutes early. If only to avoid episodes like the one I described. Also, it is dangerous, all this rushing-into-the-train business. I have seen people stuck at doors, their feet slipping and what not.
Haha, that is a terrific idea. The next time there is an episode like this – and I am sure there will be – I will make sure the photo is up too. 😉 It will definitely be soothing. 😀