Empathy Over Judgement!

 

Recently, while traveling in a private bus, I came across an incident that has been stuck in my mind ever since. A mother and her daughter, who seemed to be around 10–12 years old, entered the bus after a few stops. Since the bus was crowded, they didn’t get seats and had to stand. The girl was wearing a sleeveless frock with frills, and as the bus moved, her frock started flying up because of the wind. She looked very uncomfortable.

Her mother noticed this and told her to come and stand between the seats to avoid the wind. Seeing this, I adjusted myself on my seat to make space for the girl to sit next to me. It was a two-seater, and I thought it wouldn’t be difficult to share.

But to my surprise, the woman sitting next to me stopped me. She told me not to move and said there was no need to give the girl a seat. She added that the girl’s mother shouldn’t have let her wear a dress like that if it was going to cause such problems. I tried to explain that the child was feeling uncomfortable and that it wasn’t a big deal to make her sit. However, the woman dismissed it, saying the mother should have thought about this earlier.

I went ahead and gave the girl the seat anyway. Her mother smiled at me gratefully, but I couldn’t stop thinking about the woman’s harsh words. It really upset me to see how quickly she judged the mother and the child, as if their clothing choice was the real issue.

When I got home, I shared the incident with my husband. Talking about it made me feel even worse. I kept thinking about what I could have said to the woman. Why do some people jump to conclusions and judge others so easily? Would she have reacted the same way if it had been her daughter?

I still don’t know what I should have said to her, but I feel strongly that the world needs more kindness and understanding. Judging someone for their clothes instead of focusing on helping them in a moment of discomfort says a lot about how we view others. I hope that, in situations like this, we can choose empathy over judgment and stand up for what feels right. Even small acts of kindness can make a big difference.