Having done a photography project on commuters and public transport, I know all too well how miserable everyone looks, hunched up in the corner trying to stay awake, mindlessly staring at their phone or checking the time every two minutes to calculate how long until they can get tucked up in bed.
However you never really truly know what commuting is like until you’re there, one of the millions wasting away the hours until the day finally ends. I now understand the infinite scowls and tired eyes that once greeted me through the windows. I am the scowl with the tired eyes, with just a hint of anger that I have to live this way.
You plan your journey accordingly and never even consider the fact that something probably will go wrong. A broken down train, signalling problems, a late running service, the doors won’t open, somethings on the tracks, traffic, the weather. Honestly there are so many factors that it actually makes sense that you’re more often than not delayed. But then why are we not surprised or untamed with joy when the system actually works and we make it to our destination ON TIME. Surely that deserves a celebration. But no, we just carry on our miserable road to work, not even considering the people and the work that got us there.
Sure, I’m not saying we should all give them a round of applause for actually doing their job properly, I mean, the rest of us don’t get that. But more people in this world should respect the fact that shit goes wrong and tight time schedules cannot always be kept intact, even the most organised person in the world can’t control everything. No-one wants to be waiting at a bus stop or stuck on a non-moving train, so do us all a favour and sit down and shut up. As irritated as I
may be stood in the cold shivering like mad, I see it as no justification to be rude to the conductors, they probably don’t want to be there just as much as us. HOWEVER, when a conductor is rude to me for no reason just because they’re stressed, THEN I get pissed. You’re not the only one having a bad day hun, kindness works both ways.