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The Morality of MRT Seats

I glance up from my book every time a new figure takes his place and stands within an arms reach of me. I look at the face. Sometimes there is eye contact, though I am more interested in the hair, the skin and the posture, the three pieces of information enough to make me decide on the next course of action. Most of the time, I get to keep the seat, but sometimes I have to let it go.

In the past it used to be one seat at each corner of the row of seats that was reserved for them and by them, I mean the elderly, the pregnant, the one with toddlers and the handicapped. Though now they had increased it to two, perhaps in the face of an ageing population and the fact that some people had to be explicitly told that the seat was reserved for the unfortunates before they could be persuaded to give it up. The awareness around giving up seats had greatly increased, thanks to the public shaming on websites such as STOMP and it worked to the extent that the healthy and the youthful became reluctant and even afraid to sit on the reserved seats lest they be unfortunate enough to doze off and be caught doing that while a pregnant woman stood in front. 

Though at times I wonder if it has been taken too far. Of late, I frequently see seats being given up for children who despite their relatively young age are more than capable of standing on their own feet (these kids need to perhaps stand more to strengthen their legs, so stop giving them the seat for their own sake). I see seats being given up for the elderly when these same elderly did come across other empty seats and chose not to sit there. At the same time, sometimes even they on being given the seats claim it like a birth right and not a kindness that has been granted to them by a well meaning individual. 

Do not get me wrong. End of the day, it is your seat and you have every right to give up the seat to anyone you want. All that I am asking for is maybe before you do give it up, just for a moment, look at the person and decide for yourself if he deserves it. For kindness does not deserve to be handed out on a platter, lest it be taken for granted.

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