Just like how us, human beings are not perfect, we can't expect anything else to be
But for every flaw there is, we can find a good in it
(I have no idea if this post would offend any readers, but please note that no criticism or harm was intended or directed to anyone, and respect that all contents are solely my personal opinions.)
We all know that none of us are perfect (in this world, nothing is). If we are, there would be no rooms for improvement, and we'll always expect everything to be handed to us on a silver platter. In life, we are always learning and making continuous efforts to become the better of best. Definitely, we'll never be satisfied with being just "best".
What's exactly the best? Don't ask me though, I am not sure too.
The SMRT trains in Singapore may not be the best to us, since I've seen people complaining often about how it gets disrupted easily. I'll admit, at times at certain moments, I probably complained about it too. It is understandable, running late and having the train disrupted is no good for us. What's worse when we started off our days early, and ended up being late because of a train fault?
We're all humans anyway - it is in our nature to complain, we all have feelings.
However, I often feel that we should also think about the good sides of something instead of complaining all the time.
Many of us tend to forget that the trains don't work on a miracle.
We have the engineers and workers out there, putting in hard work and extreme efforts just so that we, the commuters, can have a pleasant journey. Placing myself in their shoes, I don't think I will be able to handle such difficult work.
Even in other countries, there are bound to be train faults as well, not just Singapore.
In everything, there's always an effort being put in - like I said, things aren't handed to us on a silver platter.
Just yesterday, there was a train fault during the evening peak hours which was pretty serious (and possibly one of the worst breakdowns in Singapore). It affected both the North-South and East-West lines which caused many much inconvenience.
In order to help us get home safely, there were free shuttle bus services and bus rides the whole night as a compensation. I'll be truthful about how I was pretty upset last evening, since I was rushing off to meet a customer to hand over the handicraft she had ordered. The buses were really packed that I had to take a cab down to Woodlands from Yishun instead.
When I was returning home, all the bus queues at the interchange were crazily long - but I am thankful that I managed to board the bus after some time and got home safely. No doubt, the bus ride was one of the slowest I've experienced (I believe), but I truly appreciate how the driver tried to let as many passengers as possible to get on board because it was getting really late. (It was close to 10pm)
I scrolled through Twitter, and obviously, many were ranting about the train service (AS WELL AS FREE BUS RIDES).
I was upset about the train service before that, but that annoyance soon went away.
That annoyance came back when I saw that there were people complaining about the "useless" intention of free bus rides because they were all too packed to pick up other passengers at the bus stops.
I can't deny - I felt disappointed that there were people unappreciative of the little efforts being put in..
At least they tried.
But clearly, I have no rights to say much since I was complaining about the train disruption earlier on, right?
So I woke up this morning and reflected.
These were my thoughts after reflecting:
No matter how bad the train service disruption was, I honestly can't put the blame (or should I say we) on SMRT and complain further.
I know, this is not the first time. However, it is definitely not something that the train service staff , SMRT, LTA or whoever related expected or even wanted to happen. Such things are unavoidable after all. I believe that they all felt really guilty about what happened.
To think that they tried to compensate us with free bus rides, it clearly showed that they were putting in efforts to find a temporary solution as well. We should at least be grateful that we got home safely with the help of the bus drivers, or even taxis - some with their own personal cars.
Unlike us, the workers and engineers had to stay out all night, putting in extra hardwork and efforts to solve the problems just so that we can have a peaceful transport experience the next morning.
They were concerned about us, and how we would face much inconvenience while heading off to work or school.
At least they cared.
I read this news article awhile ago and I felt nothing but gratefulness.
Firstly, Mr Lui apologised although it really isn't anyone's fault.
I honestly feel that having a train breakdown is unpredictable. Sometimes, it just happens. Especially when train services are stopped in order to investigate the situation and cause of problem, if you look at it in a good way, it was done for our safety.
(after all we can't expect a train to operate when it's faulty because it is extremely dangerous)
It clearly showed that Mr Lui felt really sorry for what happened and is taking up responsibility.
Secondly, he was present since early morning to observe the situation and ensure that everything is okay.
I really appreciate such a gesture, at least he is making the effort. Honestly, it is not easy to solve such problems.
If not for his and the others' efforts, where would we have gotten transport in Singapore?
The complains going around probably made him even more guilty, but we can see that he is really concerned about us.
Let's just appreciate the efforts Mr Lui and the others are putting in.
He could have inquired about the incident further, but he was flexible in deciding what's more important in such a difficult situation.
Mr Lui surely wanted to be able to find the cause in order to solve the problem quickly, just so that train service can resume for the commuters.
There, he said it too. Of course, he is concerned about the commuters!
Look, he even apologised on his Facebook. And clearly, he instructed SMRT & LTA to work through the night so that train services can resume the next morning.
For who? For us of course!
Imagine having to stay out all night, sweating in such a humid Singapore even at night times.
Imagine them being tired and sleepy... (and hungry), and yet having to work through out the night.
They could choose not to do it overnight, but they were doing it for us.
So we should at least be thankful for being able to get home - even if it was late - to rest, have dinner and be comfortably sleeping after a hot shower.
After all, we really can't blame anyone all these for happening. Nobody wanted it to, and everyone tried their best to solve it. There was also no way better to transport everyone quickly and conveniently at the same time, we just have to be understanding.
I definitely know that there were engineers, technicians, train service staff running about helping out stranded commuters. I saw how they were all sweating and tired, but still greeted everyone with a smile whenever they were thrown with tons of questions. Definitely, not all areas of Singapore would have had enough manpower, and of course.. That requires our understanding as well.
I am truly & deeply grateful for what they did,
(All images and information above were taken from Straits Times online)
(You may read the full article here)
We all tend to look only at the negative side of everything.
Even if there were faults, we could at least try to look at the little things that we can be thankful for.
We would be happier, in a society full of love and warmth.
In life, instead of trying to find fault with everything, we should try to be grateful for the hardwork, effort and concern from others.
In every fault we find, there are also things to be thankful for.
We just have to learn to look at things in a positive perspective.
I also read an article regarding the kind acts from others amid the train disruption. My heart really melted when I read about it, and it shows how Singaporeans come together as one during difficult times.
(Click here to read the article)
Truthfully, I am proud of what they did and I hope that these kind acts would never stop.
Appreciating the little things in life makes one happier, and makes the world a better place.
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