What’s something most people don’t understand?
There is a lot that people don’t understand and it differs from person to person, like the other day when I was travelling in a bus and the gentleman sitting next to me was talking on the phone. Now, there is nothing wrong about talking on the phone, the realm of the wrong begins in the way you do it.
This gentleman was speaking on almost the top of his voice. Aged more than me, I decided to go with patience as my initial approach with the expectation of the call ending soon. But there was no end and his loud voice echoed right into my head. I looked around to see if anyone else was bothered and was waiting for a sign to take the initiative to ask the gentleman to tone down. There were a few who were bothered but they were looking at me and the expression on their faces said that I should do it.
So, I cleared my throat, turned towards this gentleman and said, “Sorry to interrupt, but can you please speak in a lower tone?”
The gentleman moved the phone away from his ears, looked at me with a puzzled expression and asked, “Did you say something?”
“You are a bit loud on the phone. Kindly lower your voice,” I said
The gentleman looked at his phone and then looked back at me and said, “Oh! I am sorry. I will be quieter.”
He was actually quite nice and was quieter for a while but then I guess he reached an interesting part in the conversation, because he laughed all of a sudden and was back to his previous tone. My stop was near, I did not bother to ask him to lower his voice a second time, but I guess he had clearly not understood how he was bothering others, especially in a confined space like in the bus.
People don’t understand a lot of things; I don’t understand a lot of things. Sometimes it’s due to the lack of knowledge and experience and sometimes it’s due to a particular given moment and the emotion that presides over this moment. These things also vary demographically as well, with a certain belief blinding people from a particular reality of life.
If there is something most people don’t understand, then I probably wouldn’t know, because I have not met most people and I never will, so to generalise such a thing will be upon a long stretch of assumption which will probably break apart if dug deeper.
In the end it’s all about our life functioning in the best manner possible in our own perception and vision, and the understanding that makes it happen is the one best for us. As for the things we don’t understand, if there is no form of interest along with absence of necessity then maybe it’s better if not pondered upon for more than what is required.
Written by Anuran Chatterji
Early Morning Memories 