Chander Gupta
The signs and sounds of impatience are visible and audible all around us as indicated, inter-alia, by the relentless honking on roads. Our impatience behind the wheels creates such a loud commotion on the roads that is very intimidating.
Being in a state of rush we speed up our vehicles recklessly blaring horns. Instances of road rage are attributable to steam of impatience gathering inside us.
Display of impatience is also encountered when the elevator, you are riding in a crowded place like a shopping mall, reaches the floor you want to drop at. You will face obstruction stepping out as the passage will be blocked by those eager to enter.
We do not exhibit equanimity to allow people inside to clear out first but rather would try to rush in as soon as the doors of the elevator slide open. The same scene is witnessed when a bus or train arrives. The waiting passengers try to barge in without first letting the passengers inside to alight comfortably.
Manifestation of restlessness can also be observed amongst elite travellers in aeroplanes. As soon as a commercial airliner touches down the runway, the passengers on board unfasten their seat belts and stand up while the plane is still taxiing.
There is a beeline in the aisle as if every single second is crucial to disembark the plane as fast as possible.
All kinds of passengers, irrespective of whether they are travelling in bus, or train, or aeroplane, display the same streak of impetuosity in surpassing others to exit the door first on reaching their destination. Similar scene is enacted in cinema halls when the show is about to be over. The audience would make a dash for the exit doors even while the credits are still scrolling down.
Standing too close to, almost touching, the next person in a queue amount to crass display of impatience. Firstly, we are not inclined to stand in queues unless there is some regulation. Per force if we have to stand in a queue, we do not stand in a relaxed manner. Rather we stand in a squeezed manner as if that would hasten coming of our turn at the window.
The more compressed the queue, the shorter we make ourselves believe it to be. In the absence of a regulated queue, we create an unseemly melee on the counter. When the pandemic had not deterred people from defying social distancing norms, expecting compliance during normal times is too much.
Why and what for are we in such a hurry, conspicuously displaying impatience in public? Is there a streak of one-upmanship in us or is impatience just ingrained in us?
Impatience leads to stress, strife, quarrels and even mishaps. Remember the adage ‘haste makes waste’. Stop a while, slow down a bit. For a change, give way to others. Public display of courtesy and civility will benefit us all.
While driving, we should cultivate patience so that we might avoid honking and stick to lane driving. Please do not rush to the exit door while alighting from bus, train, and plane. Stampedes are caused by propensity to rush, whether to enter or to exit. So many mishaps can be averted by eschewing impatience.