I couldn’t agree more Maria, it is about brainwashing our mind and telling ourselves more than enough number of times that we have rights too and we should stand up for them or else people will take advantage and sometimes in a very bad way too :(. Naah, nothing that idiot was just a brute and he kept shouting. Luckily nothing happened to us, nothing was hurt except the pride. End of the day, I could not help myself thinking that injustice prevailed and it felt so bad that people can get away just by being the loud mouths and getting the idiotic public support which wants to do nothing but simply find someone to dump their frustrations on. And that day, I just learned that all I have to do is just shut up, take the vehicle number of such a driver and lodge a complaint in the police station. Or maybe stop next to a cop, only then will these guys know how to behave.

Ohhh!! Really they tried to hit your car and all? Gosh, I don’t understand all this anger and frustration, especially when someone tries to get physically abusive. It is so disgusting and disappointing that people behave like this. Don’t know when will people become more important than the silly vehicles or damages on it. Sheesh! :(

Yes… hopefully with awareness campaigns and telling others about being assertive and stand up when they see a really unfair thing more people will be assertive or reacting to such in justices… but its more brainwashing your mind, reminding yourself that you stand for something… but ofcourse one must be careful as well. So, did you get something out of the taxt driver, I don’t drive cars because I was afraid of these sort of instances. It happened in a highway I turned long instead of short and a group of men got angry, true I made a mistake but they tried to hit my car… worst was there were 3 ladies and one old man in the car, its just horrible of them to try be violent on us. Anyway

Thank you Maria. I understand, the challenges you have are more daunting cos there doesn’t seem to be any dearth of insensitive people out there who act like the most selfish bums. I feel sorry that they made you feel like that. I agree, the idiots who misbehave are a lot out there and I wish there was a mechanism to root them out as well. Just about 4-5 months ago an idiot taxi guy bumped my car from behind. He got out of the car and started shouting at me even though the mistake was completely his. I got out completely irritated and told him that it was his fault. He ganged up a few in that locality and advanced on me. The crowd was so insensitive that they didn’t bother. Instead they stood in support of him just so that they’d get more entertainment. No one seemed to care what was right or wrong. The solution for this maybe in the legal system. But when a society like that is on adrenaline and wants to fight, being assertive kinda backfired and I felt absolutely helpless. My blood still boils when I remember that.

Hi Maria, thanks so much for your thoughts here. I understand the situation, even I used to be a lot like this. Infact I don’t know how much of it remains in me now, but I do make a conscious effort to get rid of it. We all have our rights and sometimes we do need to assert them or else the bullies will get the better of it. For example, just the last week, I was at a theatre watching a movie while a man 3 seats next to me was talking loudly on his phone for a long time. People pretended as if it didn’t bother them, but I am sure it pissed them off too. It took me a lot of deliberations before I went up to him and asked him to take the call outside cos it was honestly an insensitivity towards our rights. I do know that it is a very small instance but I still don’t understand why I had to deliberate so much before I spoke to him like that. Maybe the traces do remain a bit, but somehow I am fairly happy that I was able to assert my opinion. :)

Thanks Alok, most of these are the ones we have put into practice and learnt from them and kinda makes them that much closer to being who we really are and to get where we want to :)

Thank you Maniparna! :). Indeed indeed, I have been on the receiving end and it really sucks when people take you for granted. It is so much better to be assertive and kinda tell people as to what is or what is not our private space so that they don’t intrude or make us feel horrible..