every one is going through something

i was on my way home this morning when i overheard the man in front of me as he was talking on the phone. i did not mean to eavesdrop but i just couldn't help but listen when i heard the panic and anxiety in his voice. i don't know who he was talking to but apparently someone in their family has dengue fever and it must be bad because the man looked shaken. he was doing his best not to cry but his voice was breaking and he kept wiping the tears in his eyes. i was doing my best to look away and shut off the sound. he is doing his best to be strong and i think i owe it to him to look away as a respect. clearly, he didn't want anyone to see him like that.

deep inside me i was praying for that stranger. i hope everything will be ok.

then, here comes this driver who made me so mad i wanted to punch him in the face. there were only two passengers in his jeep, me and the man. he asked where we are getting off and i told him but the man was on the phone talking to someone about the dengue and all that and did not hear the driver when he asked. now here's the thing, the way the traffic is routed is a bit awkward if you would ask me. see, if you are from downtown bacolod going to Bata (a barangay in the city) the jeepneys will have to make a U-turn near the north terminal and then go south and left turn to get to Bata. if no passengers are getting off the bus terminal however, drivers would opt to just make a left turn when they get to the intersection going to Bata. so what happened is that, since the man did not hear the driver, the driver assumed that the man is going to the terminal and when he got there and the man did not get off the vehicle he was so upset. he was angry that he had to go all that way for nothing.

in a way i get his point. that would have saved time and fuel. here's the thing though, sometimes we have to be careful with how we react in a situation. we do not know what a person is going through and how our actions can aggravate their situation. the driver was so angry that he was grumbling and sulking all the way. a mini-tantrum for a lack of a better word. he was hitting the wheel, over-taking other cars, and all the while chastising the man for not answering him when he asked. the man was still probably out of it all because he did not mind the driver and still looked so worried the whole time. and me? i was giving the driver the tiger look until i got off.

here's what i learned today: everyone of us are going struggling over something. we all have issues and problems that we sometimes hide behind the smiles and jokes. that is why we have to be careful with how we deal with a situation because our actions may just make things worst for someone. the words we say and the little things we do may not mean much to us but it might be something that would tip off the scale and break everything apart for that person. sometimes even one word can break down the person if said at the wrong time.

we all have to be sensitive about other people's feelings. we all have to be careful about how we say things especially if we know it is something that should not be said in the first place. we are all going through something and sometimes a little bit of understanding can go a long way.