If you have ever worked in Service based industry, often you must have heard the slang “Don’t assume!! Assumption is the mother of all screw ups”. I came across few such incidents in my routine life. These incidents were not exactly screw ups but simple happenings that can be narrated as anecdotes. I have penned one such latest incident as it’s still fresh in my memory.
Few days back I was walking back to my apartment after a lazy days work and on my way back I have to cross a busy motorway. Now, an excellent thing about British transport system is that they put pedestrian comfort and safety first and on each crossing they have put up switch for pedestrians which would switch green signals to red so pedestrians can go across the motorway safely. However, there is one small flaw in this convenient system instituted for pedestrians, it assumes that pedestrians would push that switch when they need to cross the motorway and that’s where this system falls apart in some situations and such situation arises when lazy bums like us have to go across the motorway. So, on this lazy evening, while I was walking back from lazy days work, I came to this crossing on motorway where this non-automated switch has been installed for my own safety. Now, this time I wasn’t here first, there were quite a few people standing there already and I joined the herd. Little did I care to glance at the switch as to whether someone had buzzed it? Now, to help you fellas compare the relative idle time spent by me on that signal, let me tell you that once the switch is activated it takes around 20 seconds for the pedestrian light to go green. Now, I was standing there along with 10-12 other people waiting for pedestrian light to say Go! Anyway, 20 seconds passed, 21, 22, 23……30. Impatience started to pang me, it was chilly and I was standing at this junction waiting for the stupid light to go green. Some people I guess could not control themselves apparently 30 seconds were too much of stationary time for them. So, they just crossed the motorway as soon as they found a small gap they could pass through.
Restlessly, I looked around and observed that others were also contemplating the same dilemma whether to jump or to wait and then I glanced at the switch no one amongst us had cared to give it a little push. No wonder the light never turned green and then I pointed that out to people around me in a humorous way and I was amazed at the reaction they smirked a bit and then just crossed the road.
So, 10-12 lazy, restless bums who never bothered to do their part of giving that switch a little nudge and who just assumed that someone else must have done it kept standing there like a bunch of morons waiting for the pedestrian light to turn green. How lazy can we get?
Anyway, eventually the light had pity on us turned green after some time automatically after 35 seconds I guess. I hope this teaches me a lesson never to assume anything and never to be lazy bum. Hopefully. Wish!!!!
