humanity | Ramu Das

Happiness is a very subjective feeling, and while some people can be happy after accomplishing something that, to them, means a great deal, others can find the reason for happiness in something that, to many, seem very trivial. I found one such reason for happiness today.

I had to move out of the office real quick to ensure that I could board the local train and commute to my destination. I seem to have drunk plenty of water in the evening today (making up for lost time) and my bladder was almost full, while the water bottle was empty.

Time was running out, and I had to make a choice between going to the cafeteria and filling the water bottle from the water purifier or going to the washroom to empty the bladder. One part of my brain suggested that it was more important for me to have a pee to feel comfortable during the commute; I won’t have the urge to drink water in the one-and-half hours’ journey from office to home, and upon reaching home I could restock the bladder. The other part of the brain suggested that nothing should be left to chance; many things can happen when one commutes, for instance, someone might suddenly throw up upon you, or you might just touch something greasy and dirty the hands and need a small splashing of water, or some people might fight, scream and shout, and, as a result, someone or the other would become extremely thirsty. Weighing the importance of both, I made a quick decision which was to fill the water bottle.

I went to the railway station, got on the train, took a novel out of the bag, and began reading, turning to the page I last read in the morning. Opposite to me sat a young man holding his head in his hands. He started rubbing his head and his eyes as one does when one suffers from headaches.

“Dada (brother),” he said to me, “Do you have water?” I took the bottle out of the side pocket of my bag. “Here,” I said, looking at him and handing the bottle.

His eyes were bloodshot, which I thought was a result of too much work, too much stress, too much looking at the laptop, all of which have become a part of a person’s life in today’s professional world.

I am happy that my decision to go to the cafeteria and fill the water bottle, instead of not filling it and going to the washroom, yielded some fruitful results.