Avoid walking behind three categories of people when you are in a hurry.
1) Those with prams (baby carriages) or kids.
2) Those on electronic gadgets such as iPhones, gaming devices and others.
3) Those of a particular culture known for being oblivion to surroundings and like to stand in the middle of nowhere, on pedestrian walk paths, in supermarts, near entrance or exit areas inside trains, near escalators, and remain immovable even after hearing you say 'excuse me' umpteen times.
Heeding this advice can help you reduce your blood pressure, and reach your destination faster.
Three groups of people I always try to avoid or overtake, especially when in a rush, running late, or in a crowd.
First, people with gadgets. These are the people who are on mobile phones, listening to mp3/4 players, playing Sony p2p gamer, or the likes.
Second, people with prams, trolleys, or children.
Third, people of a particular ethnic group with cultural practices that tend to be oblivious to people around them and seemingly always blocking others from moving forward.
I may sound like one who is being critical or harboring prejudices, but it is the truth and the facts of my life. For me, avoiding or overtaking them not only guarantees earlier arrival at destinations, but also ensures time saved with faster pace, that is, as a pedestrian on the walkways, minus hazards from bicycles.
"To teach graciousness to children, begin with their parents."
An example of parents needing parenting:
A father goes to the supermarket and place his trolley in the middle of a passageway with child in the trolley. He then begins teaching his child by pointing to things in the supermart saying, "This is an apple, that is an orange, the other is ..."
This 'anecdote' happened at the NTUC FairPrice Sembawang supermarket in the morning today. The passageway totally blocked, and other shoppers were unable to get through. The stares from the people at the father did not help, because the parent was totally oblivious to surroundings, because his world is the child, not earth.
For help on being gracious, read 'Learning to be Graceful'. For a biblical perspective of building graciousness, read 'Gracefully Yours'.
Avoid walking behind three categories of people when you are in a hurry.
