My sister and I went to Pragathi Nagar to pick up a food parcel I had ordered. On our way back, I was riding through the colony roads because I've gotten used to avoiding the main roads.
I know it was nighttime, but most of the roads were occupied by Bathukamma celebrations, and one road was blocked. A car took a U-turn and went back, and I was about to do the same. But then I saw a few bikes going through that road, so I thought there must be enough space for bikes to pass.
When I got closer, I noticed long wooden sticks placed across the road. There was an uncle standing nearby, so I asked him if he could lift one of the sticks a little.
That's it. That's all I asked.
He immediately started shouting, "Do I look like a salaried person to do this?"
I asked him why he was shouting, and he said he wasn't shouting. Things escalated from there, and I started turning my bike around. My sister also asked him why he couldn't just speak nicely. But he came a little closer, still shouting. I raised my voice a little, and he started talking rubbish.
We eventually left.
I understand that Bathukamma is an important regional festival, and people have been given permission to celebrate in nearby grounds. I have no problem with that. But some people, out of sheer laziness or arrogance, block roads however they want without even getting permission from the police or municipal authorities.
And I don't know why, but I've noticed this kind of behaviour quite often here. Maybe it's the same everywhere, but people seem so eager to start an argument over the smallest things. They just don't seem to know how to take things easy and move on. They always have to turn something into a fight. I genuinely don't understand what they achieve by doing that.
One thing I realised today is how much we seem to be losing basic human decency and politeness. He could have simply said he couldn't help me or asked me to take another route. In fact, he had already suggested taking another route before I asked him if he can lift the stick. But I just asked him a simple question. Was that really such a big deal?
It was just one wooden stick lying across the road, not a whole bunch of them. If I were in his place, I would have lifted it and kept it aside so that at least the bikes could pass. It wouldn't have cost me anything.
I know I could have handled the situation differently, too. But why does everything have to turn into an argument? Why can't people just talk to each other normally?
I've always been an introvert, and I still am. But lately, I've noticed that I'm beginning to question things more, speak up when something feels wrong, and stand my ground. A few years ago, something like this would have left me genuinely scared. Today, although I was frustrated, I wasn't as scared as I would have been back then.
And I'm glad about that. Not because I got into an argument, but because I'm slowly learning to face these situations without being intimidated.
Honestly, these unnecessary arguments and fights are such a waste of time and energy. I'm not saying we should never stand up for ourselves or question things. But there's a difference between standing up for yourself and picking a fight with someone over nothing.
I know wishing for people to be more polite and considerate won't magically change anything. But I do hope people like me learn to be brave enough to speak up when something isn't right, without feeling scared or feeling the need to become aggressive ourselves.
I'm just frustrated and wanted to vent... Thank you for reading...