On Demand Politeness

The forthcoming issue of the Readers Digest has some survey of politeness in various cities and the news is already out that it puts Mumbai in the last slot… that is the rudest city. Somehow news spread… (I wonder why RD felt need for this film style publicity?) Already Sunday times had articles discussing it… so much of fuss…

You read any book on body language… the very first lesson they teach is that every culture… country... region has its own traits...ethics & social norms to be followed. One must understand and respect those norms.

In India we consider it a bad habit to enter home wearing footwear… so if some Indian magazine conducts the survey and call western cities ill mannered… will it be ok?

On the scale of those three useless tests Mumbai may be rude… but it is far ahead when it come to real time action.

A person in Mumbai will help you immediately if he senses the need for help. If you drop your books down and if you are capable of gathering the stuff your self, no one in Mumbai will stop and help you…

but try this…let the stuff scatter a bit and someone passing by will lift some of the stuff… and give it to you... again… he won’t stop and collect everything, only what he can within his own limited timeframe... without obstructing his own activity…

This is what I call On Demand Politeness…

You look around city and you will find numerous examples… Local trains and Bus are best places to watch this on demand politeness in action…

One simple example… A year ago… Mumbai faced floods… and so did New Orleans… Everyone knows what happened where… the so called polite cultured city went on rampage and looting whereas this so called rude city held it’s nerve and people supported each other…

This reminds me of one story…
Once Narada went to Lord Vishnu and asked him who his most favorite devote is. Vishnu points towards the earth to a farmer.

Narada who was expecting himself to be favorite asks why the farmer who hardly chants the lord’s name 8-10 times a day is favorite and even after chanting the name of god whole day, he is not his favorite devotee.

The lord gives him a vessel full of water till the edge and asks Narada to make a full trip of earth while ensuring that not a single drop of water is spilled. Narada does so. When he comes back the lord asks him, how many times did u chant my name? Narada says I was too busy taking care of water I did not chant even once.

The lord says, this small vessel of water made you forget me. And that farmer daily completes his all duties towards his family... society and still chants the Lord’s name 8-10 times….

I guess same analogy hold true for this scenario also…

Imagine if suddenly all those people in those polite cities find that they no more have the social security… and they are following the same lifestyle of people in Mumbai where one has to struggle daily for bread and butter…. Will they remain at same index of politeness?

One stroke of nature makes these Western Polite people forget that politeness and start looting… and these poor people in Mumbai while suffering throughout the day show as much politeness as they can….

Who is better?