An interesting exchange took place today evening, just about a couple of hours back, almost in front of my apartment complex, with a neighbour-friend. Which was a lesson to me and possibly to others too.
Before we go into that, as usual, a little bit of background. Evening chats with neighbours, friends and in tea-shops is becoming difficult in this fair city of Chennai. It is not due to any government restrictions, but because of the sheer onslaught of the mosquitoes. And the stench of the uncollected garbage from which the mosquitoes emerge once the sun goes down.
I have been visiting other areas in the city, predominantly around my own dwelling to actually see whether the mosquitoes are really as much a menace as in my area. They are.
BTP, my apartment complex lies in a side street south of a main thoroughfare. Over the years my street on which I used to play cricket on weekdays after about 10 in the morning, has become so traffic heavy, my grandma now needs my help to cross to go to the temple nearby. I wish I’d instead bought an apartment at the next southern street, on which kids still play cricket throughout the day.
:-(
The thoroughfare to the north, on which I learned to bicycle, is now very busy with a supermarket, an eatery, an entertainment centre and what not, with a health care utility to boot. All these are almost the same distance on the thoroughfare, as my apartment complex is from the *main* road. Several hundred feet down there is an alleyway, quite broad, which can take even a mini-truck in an emergency, which leads straight from my street to the commercial and public utility on the thoroughfare. The pertinent point is that taking the alleyway shortens the distance by about 200 meters.
Today evening, a group of my neighbour-friends were chatting, as stated, when in a matter of about half an hour, 2 couples walked by, another on a bike and a lady on a scooter and 2 more families on cars, all came by asking for directions of the public utility/eatery/supermarket.
I directed the walkers towards the alleyway, while directing all the motorists to take the long way around. When any one of my friends tried to direct the motorists towards the alleyway, I intervened to say that there is garbage dumped on the other end (where it meets the thoroughfare) and it would be better for them to reverse and take the way around.
At which one of my friends questioned me. The conversation went like this.
My Friend (MF): ‘Hey, maddie, I know you’re a logical guy. Now I cannot understand your logic behind making the walkers take the alleyway, through stinking garbage (which is true), when they’ve to suffer for a couple of minutes of stink. But making the motorists who will pass by (the stink) in a couple of seconds and in case of cars, not even feel it!’
Me: ‘Guys. I didn’t want the walkers to put in the extra effort. Though they’ll have to hold the nose, it is shorter and more efficient for them to reach where they want to go!’
MF: ‘So what about the motorists, who will have an even easier time?’
Me: ‘I don’t want to teach the motorists the shortcut and a non-congested route to reach their intent. Because if they learn that it is shorter, easier and faster to reach the utility/supermarket/eatery through our street, then they would keep doing it - which means even more *unnecessary* traffic on our street. Even worse, they’d boast to their friends and colleagues, which would bring in even more traffic!’
MF: (stunned) But what about the walkers? If they come by bike next time, would they not follow the same route?
Me: ‘Once they’ve suffered the stink, which is actually unbearable for a minute of so, they wouldn’t ever dare to recommend it to others. Fact is I doubt whether they would even walk through it again, themselves, even to save a couple of hundred meters of effort!’
MF: ‘Salute! You really do think through a situation. Really! Now I know why, when under pressure, I instinctively ask for your advice, though may not adopt it, and completely understand why my (and neighbourhood) kids turn to you to umpire or referee, in their games or in their (kids) disputes and accept your decision!’
That I think is the best ever compliment I’ve had.
O:-)
My Naughty half natters, ‘Its also the reason why I sleep an innocent's sleep every night, in spite the mosquitoes. LOL.’
Before we go into that, as usual, a little bit of background. Evening chats with neighbours, friends and in tea-shops is becoming difficult in this fair city of Chennai. It is not due to any government restrictions, but because of the sheer onslaught of the mosquitoes. And the stench of the uncollected garbage from which the mosquitoes emerge once the sun goes down.
I have been visiting other areas in the city, predominantly around my own dwelling to actually see whether the mosquitoes are really as much a menace as in my area. They are.
BTP, my apartment complex lies in a side street south of a main thoroughfare. Over the years my street on which I used to play cricket on weekdays after about 10 in the morning, has become so traffic heavy, my grandma now needs my help to cross to go to the temple nearby. I wish I’d instead bought an apartment at the next southern street, on which kids still play cricket throughout the day.
:-(
The thoroughfare to the north, on which I learned to bicycle, is now very busy with a supermarket, an eatery, an entertainment centre and what not, with a health care utility to boot. All these are almost the same distance on the thoroughfare, as my apartment complex is from the *main* road. Several hundred feet down there is an alleyway, quite broad, which can take even a mini-truck in an emergency, which leads straight from my street to the commercial and public utility on the thoroughfare. The pertinent point is that taking the alleyway shortens the distance by about 200 meters.
Today evening, a group of my neighbour-friends were chatting, as stated, when in a matter of about half an hour, 2 couples walked by, another on a bike and a lady on a scooter and 2 more families on cars, all came by asking for directions of the public utility/eatery/supermarket.
I directed the walkers towards the alleyway, while directing all the motorists to take the long way around. When any one of my friends tried to direct the motorists towards the alleyway, I intervened to say that there is garbage dumped on the other end (where it meets the thoroughfare) and it would be better for them to reverse and take the way around.
At which one of my friends questioned me. The conversation went like this.
My Friend (MF): ‘Hey, maddie, I know you’re a logical guy. Now I cannot understand your logic behind making the walkers take the alleyway, through stinking garbage (which is true), when they’ve to suffer for a couple of minutes of stink. But making the motorists who will pass by (the stink) in a couple of seconds and in case of cars, not even feel it!’
Me: ‘Guys. I didn’t want the walkers to put in the extra effort. Though they’ll have to hold the nose, it is shorter and more efficient for them to reach where they want to go!’
MF: ‘So what about the motorists, who will have an even easier time?’
Me: ‘I don’t want to teach the motorists the shortcut and a non-congested route to reach their intent. Because if they learn that it is shorter, easier and faster to reach the utility/supermarket/eatery through our street, then they would keep doing it - which means even more *unnecessary* traffic on our street. Even worse, they’d boast to their friends and colleagues, which would bring in even more traffic!’
MF: (stunned) But what about the walkers? If they come by bike next time, would they not follow the same route?
Me: ‘Once they’ve suffered the stink, which is actually unbearable for a minute of so, they wouldn’t ever dare to recommend it to others. Fact is I doubt whether they would even walk through it again, themselves, even to save a couple of hundred meters of effort!’
MF: ‘Salute! You really do think through a situation. Really! Now I know why, when under pressure, I instinctively ask for your advice, though may not adopt it, and completely understand why my (and neighbourhood) kids turn to you to umpire or referee, in their games or in their (kids) disputes and accept your decision!’
That I think is the best ever compliment I’ve had.
O:-)
My Naughty half natters, ‘Its also the reason why I sleep an innocent's sleep every night, in spite the mosquitoes. LOL.’
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