Sit Here, Please

Four years ago, as a university student, I came to study in this city. I was overwhelmed at the first sight of it, and soon fell in love with it. The city was big, much bigger than my hometown. The streets were many. The buildings were mostly high-rise. The gardens were distinctive with charm.

Everything seemed perfect--for me at least. But it changed one day, almost to the opposite way, because of the people in it. That day one friend of mine asked me to meet her outside the school. As it was extremely hot outside, I decided not

to meet her by bicycle, but by bus.

The bus station was crowded. Every bus came with a throng of passengers off, and

went away with another throng on. After my bus arrived, I managed to get on the

bus and find a seat. But no sooner had I sat down and started to relax did I see an old lady, about sixty or seventy, standing about two metres away from me.

As I was told since I was young that we should respect the older and the younger

, without hesitation I stood up and beckoned the lady to sit on my seat. She was

pleased. So was I. Everything went just fine beofre I heard the low voice behind me.

I turned around, the ironic voice, from a middle-aged man, was continuing to chat with the guy by him. “Who does she think she is, Lei Feng? The times of Lei

Feng has gone long since. ” The other one chuckled. So did some of others inside the bus.

I flushed to my ears. I thought it was taken for granted that we should be concerned about the older. It was nothing like what the man said that I was just trying to show off. The lady apparently had stood there for quite a while before I noticed her. She looked exhausted, haggard, and was sweating all the time. What could I do if not to stand up?

To sit where I was, pretending not to see her? I can’t do it. Maybe others can,

but I can not. Not just because I was educated not to be a stand-by. Care each

other should be a basic norm we should obey, as a member of this society. If we,

as human beings, don’t bother to care for each other, whoever else we should count on?

I didn’t grow up in an all-round educational environment. I bet I was at most a just-so-so in the city where was more modern and better-equipped than my hometown. Many people, like the middle-aged man, must have a better mastery of

knowledge than I did. I had felt humble in front of them as I knew knowledge is

the ladder of progress. They should serve as my example.

But what was this happening implied? The middle-aged man perhaps was just an exception. But how about the other ones who were on the bus? Were they all blind that failed to see that the lady who badly needed help? Was the minutes of comfort

being seated the same essential as life that none was willing to give it up?

I was out of words after I got off the bus. I was in a frenzy of anger. As later

on I tried to calm down, I told myself that the happening was just an incident.

The people on the bus should be just few percent of all. But as it turned out,

it was not the case at all. More often than not, people were handicapped to see

those who needed help.

I wasn't brought up in a big city. I was longing to since which means I would have a finer education. But if staying in the big city was the cause that the people in it lacked of care and consideration for others, I would rather been born in a poor countryside. Knowledge is important and crucial, but by no means so important and crucial as consideration for others.

Caroline