Eddie Yu

Oh my god, I actually wanted to start writing this post whilst I was on the train, but I waited until I’m here back in my office. Yesterday as I was coming back from an inspiring afternoon with the POD patrons, I saw something which I just couldn’t get my head around.

It was evening rush hour and people were heading back home after a long days work. Sitting on the train from Waterloo, I could see tired faces and being a Monday, I could see some relieved faces as well. Whilst surveying the carriage, there was this bald man, quite typical looking in a slightly oversized suit, but a nice suit, and he was checking his phone whilst also checking out the girls in the carriage.

Quite normal for a man, especially a single man. I guessed he must have been in his early to mid 40s. Single, because I saw no wedding ring. Just a little out of Vauxhall, the first stop from Waterloo, I couldn’t believe what I saw. He pulls out a large can of Stella Artois and proceeds to drink it on the busy train, at a pace which I could only describe as desperate.

I just couldn’t get my head around why was he doing that?

He could have waited until he got off the busy train, or when he got home. Besides that, why was he even drinking at that early hour on a Monday evening, just after work. Had the day been so bad that he had to quickly make himself forget the awful day he just had?

It could have been any number of reasons why, but they all led to one question, what could be so bad in his life, that could cause him to behave in such a manner? As he drank the can quickly, he immediately became a little tipsy, you could tell in the swaying. With that tipsiness came even more staring at the women on the carriage.

You just wouldn’t have thought it based on his appearance. He seemed to be a normal average Joe, coming home from work and just getting on with life.

Sometimes you just can’t tell what’s going on inside. It probably came down to choice. After all, if he had choice, he would surely choose a better alternative.

I don’t know, I see quite disturbing social behaviors on the trains and stations in London. It always seems that there are many lessons to learn from observing society in transit.

Where are people going and why?

What dictates their speed of walking, what is their destination and are they aware of where they are heading in life?

I guess like any station, you gotta know your destination first, and whenever you go to a new place you’ve never been to before, you check diligently on the departure boards the time and platform from which the train is leaving, so that you can be there and end up in the right place.

When our destination is the same every single day, and for some people, for a large part of their lives, you stop looking at the departure boards and you go into autopilot mode. Question is, what else in your life have you put on autopilot? Are you heading to nowhere fast?

Have you looked up at the departure boards lately and made a new decision on where to go? All you have to do is decide, and then get on the train. The rest is just part of the journey and adventure.