A Shift in Mindset

This blog could be permanently changed to "stories from the 1 train in NYC." There could be hundreds of stories, one from each time a new stop is made. People watching on the subway alone could give any writer years of material. However, it is those personal interactions or personal experiences that make the stories even more interesting.
Recently, I've become increasingly aware at how most people do not think of others before themselves. Most people do not consider who is sitting or standing next to them in a class, on the subway, or in the elevator. For instance, yesterday a teacher asked a student in the class to open a window. The window does not open more than about 4-6 inches. This teacher then proceeded to tell the class why there were blocks on all the windows in the school and the dorm. Apparently a few years ago a girl jumped and killed herself in the dorm. Without thinking that maybe there were students in his class affected by suicide, this teacher proceeded to talk about how horrible suicide is. He talked of how selfish it is and how it is a "long term solution to short term problems." This interaction with this teacher made me realize how oblivious and closed minded people are. Yes, suicide is selfish, but not all suicide happens due to short term problems. I felt like asking him: "Sir, do you know what Hospice is? Have you ever heard of terminal illnesses? Have you ever talked to a medical professional about suicide?" Not all suicides can be lumped into a category. Nothing life related lumped into one category. This teacher/class discussion led me to see even further how oblivious people are to who is around them.
Not even four hours later something else happened that proved the oblivion of the average human again. This time it was on the 1 train.
My friend and I had popped down to Macy's on 34th and I left early. I needed to get back and practice, so I jumped on the subway and headed towards home. I waited for the second train because the first one was full and I knew there would be another one shortly with seats. (If you are ever in NY and it is rush hour...wait for the next train. It is usually less crowded. They generally send two.) So, I nabbed a seat and sat patiently. The trains usually get more and more crowded around 42nd St. We must have been at Columbus Circle when an old woman and her 20-30 year old daughter got on. There was standing room only. I noticed that the daughter was having a hard time. She didn't seem to understand that she needed to hold on the pole so she wouldn't fall. Apparently no one else noticed. I locked eyes with the daughter and she gave this bewildered look and I stood up and gave her my seat. I'm not sure what type of retardation she has, but she broke my heart. He mom, so patient, so kind and loving, saw what happened and thanked me profusely. She told me that her daughter had just been diagnosed with arthritis and was "limpy." The mothers eyes told me the rest of the story. She stood there guarding her daughter as she sat without saying a word chewing on her my little pony's foot. She would stroke the dolls hair and look around. No one in the subway seemed to notice or care. Occassionaly the daughter would lift her hand up for her mom to hold and she did. The mom continued to thank me when she got off at 79th. I watched her as she take her daughters hand and leed her off the train and up to the elevator.
I started thinking about the other people on the subway. They were so fixated on their book, newspaper, or ipod to even notice this young woman and her elderly mother. My seat was open again, but I wasn't going to take it. An older man offered me another open seat, but I declined and was really surprised to see the gratitude in his eyes. He sat down and almost immediatley dozed off.
These interactions with people make me even more certain that I am on the right path for a career. I'm tired of being selfish. I'm tired of beating myself to try and gain this one job. These are people other humans that we interact with everyday. Someone needs to step up and care.