Train Rides and Human NatureSo I ride the train and subway to and from work everyday, and it's been an interesting experience for me. You see, the train and subway are like their own little culture, with their own set of common customs and courtesies. When I first started riding, I had to learn that although I was sitting in the midst of a truly diverse and interesting group of people, saying things like "hello," and "good morning," are not common. Communication is all done by action not words. You don't say "excuse me" to someone blocking your way when you need to get up and move to the aisle, instead you begin to move in that direction and the person gets the hint.
There are plenty of other courtesies, of course, but there is one that is particularly interesting to me. I call it the "enter/exit courtesy," and it goes like this: Anyone who is exiting the train has priority over anyone who is entering. Even if there is a large of group people waiting to get on the train, they must wait until all those exiting the train have done so before they enter. Seems simple right? Like common sense even. Now let me complicate things a bit; let me throw in the "human element." The human element takes the form of a thought; something like: "I want a seat on the train so that I don't have to stand" or "I want to sit in the seniors section so that I'm not bothered by others wanting to sit next to me," or "I can't be late for work," or whatever else you can think of. Whatever the motive, once the human element takes hold, you'll begin to see individuals sneak on the train while others are still exiting. And in worst case senerio, this turns into a domino effect as whole groups of people begin flooding through the doors without regard for those who may need to get off. ...After all, if one person is willing to follow his selfish impulse why shouldn't one more be allowed to? ...or so the logic goes.
Well, this exact situation happened earlier this week. I had just gotten off of work, and was on my way to the train station. By the time I arrived, the platform was already full of people who were waiting for the train. The human element must have been in full effect that day, because as soon as the train arrived and the doors opened, a mob of people begin to rush in. At first it was just a few, then a couple more, but soon, the flood gates opened and bodies rushed in from all sides. Naturally, those exiting the train wouldn't stand for this, so they begin forcing their way upstream through the river of entering bodies. It was a sight to behold!
But then I saw something that angered me. There was still quite a few people who needed to get on the train, and it looked as if everyone who needed to get off had gotten off. But, just as I was about to enter, I noticed that there was still a man who needed to get off, and he was obviously crippled because he walked with a limp. He did manage to put up a furious fight though, battling his way to about 6 feet from the exit before the raging river or bodies overpowered him, and he gave up in frustration. There was nothing he could do but stand where he was at. As he stood there stranded, I looked in amazement as people walked anxiously around him in order to secure a seat.
Now, I had decided to hold my ground and wait outside the train until everyone had exited. At this point, I looked the crippled man in the eyes, gave a quick smile, and indicated that I would wait for him to exit. As I did so, something strange happened: Others who could have easily entered and went around the stranded man, instead decided to wait along with me. In fact, there was an anxious women who got caught behind me against her will. She wanted nothing more then to get on the train and to find a seat, but I was blocking her way in. Once she finally got around me, and noticed that everyone else was waiting for this man too, she changed her attitude and decided to wait as well.
This is an interesting story no doubt, but I think there's more to the story then meets the eye. When I reflect on this event, it tells me two things about human nature:
1. Each of us tends to think, "It's all about me! Me, me, me, me, ME!!!!!!"
2. It only takes a little bit of encouragement FROM OTHERS to break us from this spell, even if only temporarily.
This raises many interesting questions: What does this say about how we ought to live our lives as Christians in a Christian community (the church)? What does this say about accountability? Carrying one another's burdens? How do we keep each other from giving into our own sinful natures? How do we encourage one another? What does this say about passages like Hebrews 10:23-25?
What do you think?(...btw, I know that I'm the "hero" of this story, but at sometime in the near future I will confess to you another story that shows just how selfish I can be.)
-Tim
Labels: Culture and Theology
