Encounters

I was having morning chitchat with my usual tuk chap on my way to the bus halt when a random person on the road hailed my tuk. It happens right, we don’t see that the tuk is already occupied so we hail it - only to discover that there is someone in it and so we retreat in a defeated Adel sort of way. 

My practical self put myself in his shoes. I’m going the same way. There’s enough room for him. So why ever the heck not? I got the tuk to stop [1]and asked him to hop in if he’s going the same way. He gets in looking all pleased and relived at this sudden gesture shown to him by a complete stranger. (However, had the tables been turned and I got a lift from a random dude in a tuk, I’d say no thank you and run the opposite way because he could be a potential rapist)

We exchanged pleasantries, names (his I forget, something beginning with S) work places, where he lived (No way was I going to tell him where I lived – he could be a potential stalker!), which is when I notice he’s quite a good looking man. Tall, square jawed, well kept beard, wearing a sharp white shirt, firm hand shake, pleasant and well mannered. A gentleman of sorts (at least during our brief encounter of not more than 10 minutes) who insisted that he pay for the fare after which we both went our separate ways. 

The End

But no, I thought about our little encounter. I was obviously very thoroughly pleased with myself about having done my good deed for the day and naturally had to wsap about it.  In this day and age of communication where one doesn’t eat a packet of biscuits without updating a status about it, you can’t blame me for it anyway. 

Me - omg omg. I gave a lift to this good looking stranger. We exchanged pleasantries.

My mother – Jeez. Remember that kidnap movie.

Me - “Urgh. You ruined it”

My mother – that’s what mothers are for. Smile.

Me - ^_^ emoticon

Agreed. Look at what happened to red riding hood. Classic example of how the world is such a bitch. Here this innocent girl is, trying to get directions from a big bad wolf who is about to tie up her grandmother and eat them both. It teaches us to NOT TALK TO STARNGERS under any circumstance. 

It's appropriate because its about Red Riding Hood and  it has the wolf giving her a ride.

And that heinous kidnap movie where two teenagers get kidnapped and sold as sex slaves (ohgawd, I still can’t commit to any relationship after seeing that shit. OMG what if the man I’m going out with is a human trafficker!!!!!! O.O *freaking out face*  what if the person I gave a lift today is a stalker. Ohmygawd im freaking out on my article. *pant pant pant* calm down Nadeesha. Get a hold of yourself….)

But here’s what I think we as potential victims of these types of things need to learn from it. In the woods, if you’re delivering goods to your sick grandmother, you’re probably lost, scared, alone and you see a big mean ass wolf and you’re only possible way out is to ask him directions, you 

1)      Do not give out more information than you need to give.

EVER. Yes.  Never give anyone more information than you are / shouldn’t be comfortable with. S/he probably isn’t out to kill you or rob you, but still, ai mokoatada? Why? What they do not need to know, they do not need to know. Here’s where one learns how to shut their huge yap.

2)      Be pleasant about it

Seriously. If you’re giving someone a helping hand, do it because you feel good after doing it and not to be thumbed under some social construct or because you ‘have’ to do it.

3)      Give them the benefit of the doubt

He probably isn’t a pervert or serial killer on the rampage looking out for his next victims although every movie ever made in the entire world will say otherwise -refer Taken and Silence of the lambs. But he might as well could be. Caution is your best friend.  Keep your guard up. Chances are he’s a random harmless chap.Or not.

4)      Evil is not gender biased

Every little girl is taught how a bad man will come and get her if she’s not too careful. What about the little boys? Although the world is a big bad place for everyone in general, all of us are all too aware of the consequences of owning a vagina. Especially in a country like Sri Lanka. Never assume that because a person is man, he is dangerous and a woman in the same situation could be innocent.

5)      Use your god given Brain

By all things holy. Please Please Please use your brain. 

Let’s keep aside the fact that he was good looking (not that I was sexually attracted to him but I’m merely making a point) He was another individual who wanted to get some place in the same urgency I did. In my head, I was merely giving him a hand. I don’t need to make friends with him, to know if he’s ‘available’, or want anything in return. Let him continue to be a stranger. (Also let’s keep aside that he could be a potential rapist, sadistic wife beater, terrorist, out to kidnap me and sell my body for human trafficking etc)

I’ve noticed that most people today won’t extend or receive a helping hand. I say so because had the tables been turned, there’s a high chance that I wouldn’t except a random lift from a complete stranger, let alone a man (refer point number 4). Why? Because it has been drilled into us. I don’t know about boys, but women, from a very young age have been molded into never trusting anyone.  Higher chances are, I’d accept the lift from a random woman rather than a man. Women are ‘socially considered’ safer to trust. Why is that? There are decent male human beings who don’t even bother giving a lift to a random person on the road because they’d get turned down. 

Another thing that  noticed among the humans I encounter day to day life, is that people are so fucking selfish. In the bus, on the road.and if you're remotely not in that segment of people, you get eliminated.

My question is, why is being sensitive to someone else’s needs such a rare thing? And my conclusion is, people are most of the time very selfish.[2] And are mostly ‘taught’ not to be empathetic.   

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[1] (my tuk chap doesn’t mind. He’s used to me taking random passengers in his tuk. One time, I was jogging in the evening and I see this old lady hobbling along the road trying to get home. My resident tuk chap happens to putputput past me so I got him to take this lady to where ever she wants to go and tab me for the fare. So anyway..)   

[2] This article is in no way to rant over my humble simple gesture of offering a ride and to tell everyone how awesomely unselfish I am. I’m sorry if you came into that conclusion. You don’t know me, so I don’t really care. Cheers!  :D

Here are some other images I thought were nice when I searched the motorcycle picture.  Just search red riding hood abstract.

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/little-red-riding-hood-and-the-big-bad-wolf-under-a-yellow-moon-jeff-burgess.html

 

Not so innocent is she now?