(no subject)
If you were out and you saw someone crying you would...
I went over to the shops today and on the way out I found someone leaning against the wall, bawling their eyes out. Normally, I'd probably walk on by - I mean, it's not really my business and well, I wouldn't be sure what to do to make them feel better. I don't think there's any time I feel more helpless than when someone is really upset...I'm not good at the whole comforting thing. Today I didn't. I went over and asked what was wrong. And listened to the really sad story behind it all. I'm not going into the story itself but it was one comment that the girl made that got me thinking:
"You were the only person who didn't look at me as if I was a freak and walk on"
See, I know there have been times in my life when I was unhappy and people treated me pretty much the same way. It doesn't make you feel good. Actually, people leaving you to 'sort yourself out' generally makes things worse because the whole 'nobody noticed' thing kicks in and...yeah. Yet, in contrast, I remember one day when I'd had an absolute horror of a day, caught the train home and this woman said something really nice. It didn't magically make the day better but I still remember that woman who took a moment to try and make me feel better.
I don't know the answers to many things. There will be many things I never know. I do wonder though how many times we've all walked by someone who was really upset and never given them another thought. And how many times people have done the same to us. I've laughed many times at the signs on the Connex trains that states that "antisocial behaviour is prohibited" but seriously, how much more interesting would train travel be if sometimes, just sometimes, we spoke to the person next to us?
- walk on - it's not your business anyway
- stare at him/her - what kind of freak cries in public?
- ask them what's wrong and try to comfort them
- freak out
I went over to the shops today and on the way out I found someone leaning against the wall, bawling their eyes out. Normally, I'd probably walk on by - I mean, it's not really my business and well, I wouldn't be sure what to do to make them feel better. I don't think there's any time I feel more helpless than when someone is really upset...I'm not good at the whole comforting thing. Today I didn't. I went over and asked what was wrong. And listened to the really sad story behind it all. I'm not going into the story itself but it was one comment that the girl made that got me thinking:
"You were the only person who didn't look at me as if I was a freak and walk on"
See, I know there have been times in my life when I was unhappy and people treated me pretty much the same way. It doesn't make you feel good. Actually, people leaving you to 'sort yourself out' generally makes things worse because the whole 'nobody noticed' thing kicks in and...yeah. Yet, in contrast, I remember one day when I'd had an absolute horror of a day, caught the train home and this woman said something really nice. It didn't magically make the day better but I still remember that woman who took a moment to try and make me feel better.
I don't know the answers to many things. There will be many things I never know. I do wonder though how many times we've all walked by someone who was really upset and never given them another thought. And how many times people have done the same to us. I've laughed many times at the signs on the Connex trains that states that "antisocial behaviour is prohibited" but seriously, how much more interesting would train travel be if sometimes, just sometimes, we spoke to the person next to us?