"Born with innate talent to tell and reveal lies."
We were put into this merciless reality to clash against each other. And those whom may have lived their life in a pure bliss would never realize how they were used as devices for the mere entertain...
"What offends a great intellect in society is the equality of rights, leading to equality of pretensions, which everyone enjoys; while at the same time, inequality of capacity means a corresponding disparity of social power. So-called good society recognizes every kind of claim but that of intellect, which is a contraband article; and people are expected to exhibit an unlimited amount of patience towards every form of folly and stupidity, perversity and dullness; whilst personal merit has to beg pardon, as it were, for being present, or else conceal itself altogether." ― Arthur Schopenhauer, Essays on Counsels and Maxims
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April, 3 months ago. The enrolment ceremony. I rode the bus to school. I was in a state of bounce and bobbing in my seat. As I idly looked out of the window, gawking at the changing scenery of the city, the bus picked up more and more passengers as time went by.
Most of them were young people wearing high school uniforms.
There was also a disgruntled clerk who looked like the type who had once accidentally groped a girl on a crowded bus. In front of me stood an unsteady elderly lady who was wobbling so badly that I thought she was on the brink of falling. Given that I'd known how crowded the bus was likely to be, I suppose I was simply reaping what I'd sown by getting on.
I was lucky enough to have found a seat, but even so, it was still a packed affair. All of a sudden, with my mind as clear as a passing stream, I forgot about the unfortunate fate of the old woman and waited patiently for my destination. The weather was exceptionally fine today, not a cloud in the sky. It was so refreshing that I nearly fell asleep right there and then.
However, my gentle respite was swiftly interrupted.
"Excuse me, but shouldn't you give up your seat?"
My eyes, which were on the verge of closing, snapped back to reality.
"Could this person be angry at me?" I thought, until I realized that it was someone else who was being scolded.
A young, well-built, blonde-haired man of high school age - well, not quite with the posture of one, but still wearing his uniform - had taken a seat in one of the priority seats. The older woman was standing right next to him, with another woman standing next to her. This second woman appeared to be a younger woman.
"Hey, can't you see this old woman is in trouble?" the lady said.
This younger lady, who appeared to be an office worker, urged the young man to give up his seat. And soon after making such a suggestive remark, her voice carried quite well throughout the quiet bus, which was enough to attract the attention of several people to what would have been a potential conflict.
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"That's nuts, young lady," the boy said.
The boy was angry, unobservant, or simply painfully honest. Either way, he grinned broadly and crossed his legs.
"Why should I give up my seat? There's no reason for me to do so."
"You're sitting in a priority seat. It's only natural to give up those seats to the elderly."
"I can't see the point. Priority seats are exactly that: priority seats. I am not obliged to move. Since I'm currently occupying this seat, I should be the one to decide whether or not to move. So I'm supposed to get rid of where I'm sitting because I'm young? HA! This argument is rubbish."
Much like his posture, he didn't speak the language of a normal high school student.
His hair was dyed blond, which made him stand out.
"I'm a healthy young person who certainly wouldn't find standing unpleasant. However, I'd obviously expend more energy standing than sitting. I have no intention of doing such a stupid thing. Or are you suggesting that I should behave a little more lively, I wonder?"
"Wh-what kind of attitude is that to have in front of your superiors?" she demanded.
"Superiors? Well, it's obvious that both you and that old woman over there have been alive longer than I have, no doubt about that. However, the word 'superior' implies that you are referring to someone of a higher position. Besides, we have another problem. Even though our ages are different, wouldn't you agree with me that you have an impertinent attitude and that you are behaving extremely rude?"
"Wha- you're a high school student, aren't you?! You should keep quiet and listen to what adults tell you!"
"It's f-fine, whatever..." The older woman mumbled.
She obviously didn't want any more commotion, and tried to calm the office lady down.
But after being insulted by the high school student, the younger woman still seemed to be very upset.
"Obviously that older woman is more astute than you, which is nice. Besides, I haven't given up on Japanese society just yet. So please enjoy your remaining years."
After a pointlessly vigorous smile, the boy slipped in his headphones and began to listen to some rather cacophonous music. The office lady gritted her teeth in frustration. Although she tried to prod the boy by continued arguing, his smug, self-important attitude remained fixed. At any rate, I had to at least partially agree with what the boy was saying.
To be fair, if you ignored the notion of Kantian moral imperative, it was true that he wasn't legally obliged to give up his seat. In fact, a 'do the right thing' statement such as "You ought to help those in need..." or "You ought to give your seat to an elder..." was an irrelevant matter for the current society, given the fact that such words were merely empty words contained in rules which could not be applied to the current society, not to mention that this principality appeared to be so rigorous that it didn't take into account dire circumstances which didn't seem to fit the modern upholding, especially when it came to engaging in the act of freedom-
"I'm sorry..." A sudden voice interrupted the intrusive thought I previously had been pondering as the office lady, who desperately fighting back tears, apologized to the elderly woman.
After all, it was just a minor incident. And to be honest, I was relieved that I hadn't been caught up in such a situation. Because, to be fair, I couldn't care less about giving up my seat for an elderly person, let alone sacrificing myself in the process. Obviously, the egotistical boy had won his rights. Or at least that was what everyone secretly had in mind.
"Um, excuse me... but I think the lady has a point."
