I-witnessed account

This is probably my third anecdotal entry, the two entries on the fireworks festival accounting for the previous ones. Anyways, I was swayed by LL to journey to Clementi central after school on this fateful day (Sept. 14 2006) to take the MRT home. I NEVER take the MRT home if I can help it. (I’ll leave my reasons for another post. I wouldn’t want to bore you here now would I?)

Taking my first steps out of the bus, I found myself face to face with a crowd of people, all looking towards the sky. Naturally, curiosity got the better of me, and I too, turned around, and searched the sky for something fantastic. I had deduced the event’s excitement level from the numerous numbers of people fishing out their camera phones, to apparently snap away at something. I found nothing. It was only after I had walked behind the crowd, was I finally able to spot what had them intrigued – before that I was blocked by the walkway shelter.

A woman stood in what seemed to be her office attire, on the MRT tracks! I was thoroughly amused later when someone informed me that she was indeed a rule-abiding citizen, standing behind the yellow line – just the wrong side of it! Observing the whole scene before me, I could only think of four things:

1. How in the world did she get there?
2. Goodness, she must be totally embarrassed!
3. Some people in the MRT train who are stuck/delayed are not going to be happy.
4. Why doesn’t she (the woman) just walk to the end of the train so someone can help her get out of her sticky situation instead of pacing up and down a 3 meter long stretch?

When I got home, my younger sister started raving to me about how a woman almost got killed at Clementi MRT. As she relayed the story to me (she heard it from her friend who happened to be standing near the couple when the incident occurred), I realized that the woman she was talking about was the exact same Jane Doe I saw at Clementi MRT.

Apparently, her boyfriend (?) pushed her onto the tracks, seemingly aware that the train was approaching, simply because he was unhappy over something that they had been supposedly quarrelling over. The woman had just enough time to scramble out of the way of the train into a safety zone. Needless to say, my sister’s friend was stunned when she saw that happened. Lucky for the woman, she had quick reflexes. I shudder to think what would happen otherwise.

Reflecting on this incident, I just felt grateful. I felt thankful that I know of nobody whom I think could ever to that to me, even under severe stress or emotional strain. For those of you out there who constantly think to yourself how you would want your significant other to improve, or change this or that, aren’t you just glad you know he/she won’t suddenly turn on you? When you quarrel with someone, do you ever think it could escalate to this?

This incident has also made me revisit the fact that people do the stupidest things on the spur of the moment, driven by intense emotions. Kwong (the alleged) has probably just thrown his entire life away, and for what? – For just a second in which he acted impulsively.

People have killed themselves over the lost of a loved one, whether it is by death, or by covet for another person. Does it really make a difference? Threats to “kill myself if you break up with me” are ridiculous. Are you that worthless to yourself? Are you that needy? It isn’t the end of the world if someone breaks up with you. There are over 50 million people on earth and you’re telling me you can’t find another guy/girl who can match up with the one who thinks “it’s not going to work out”? I feel like telling these people to wake up and smell the truth.

People have turned violent on impulse, whether goaded or not. Jail or boy’s/girl’s homes become their new homes for months or years. Life is difficult after that. People have said things to hurt others when emotions run high. Sometimes this hurt is repairable, sometimes it is not. It’s a pity how relationships get ruined over words. It’s a pity how families are broken apart.

Why can’t people just get past words? Why can’t people realize the love others have for them? Why do people realize it’s not the end of the world – that there are many more reasons for one to live on? Why can’t people realize that they are not alone?

Yet it is me who has to wake up and smell reality.