Proximity

Proximity  can be described as : nearness in place, time, order, occurrence, or relation.

 As seldom as we think about proximity it actually plays an important role in our everyday commute. For example couples and immediate family usually stand the closest in the subway .they frequently lean, touch or even bump into each other without noticing . Friends and acquaintances keep a steady distance between each other, close enough to converse but not as close as a couples proximity. But recent experiences have lead me to raise the question - how close is too close? Couples have all right to exhibit public displays of affection but dry humping your spouse in the midst of strangers and children is highly inappropriate. Parents have all right to bring their kids on public transportation but when the kids decide to stretch out on the seat like a sofa this is highly inappropriate, when a stranger stands close enough that you can feel their breath - this also is highly inappropriate. Every car, bus, train cart is made efficiently for a specific amount of people to fit comfortably. But sometimes you have to be aware of the proximity rule(~a person commuting via mass transit should always be at least 6 inches away from every other individual at all times~), this rule is effective whenever you have encountered a situation that makes you think whoa- is it just me? Or is this person weird for being this close.

Don't be afraid! Yell out proximity rule when:

• A hand slides down the pole onto yours-ewww
• When the person standing in front hair happens to be in your face
• When someone is so close to you that you can feel their body heat .
• When some one's random bag of shenanigans is resting on your foot.
• When some one's handbag or back pack is poking you in the back or side.

In an ironic twist - while finishing up this article on the train..... a girl throws up in the cart that I'm riding in!

Pause!

 

I then found the only exception where the proximity rule becomes  null and void. Like a ripple in pond of water people moved away uniformly to escape one of the most potent threats of a commuter - vomit. This is one of the few cases where bumping into someone, jumping onto someone, clutching some stranger is absolutely acceptable (followed by a sincere apology of course).public transport is designed for you to travel safely and comfortably to your destination. personally i know that comfort means different things to different people but it should be mandatory for people to stand at least 6inches away from you, (unless immediate friends or family) and should be given a ticket if found any closer, unless someone decides to extrude their guts in your vicinity then we declare a state of emergency for you to flee the scene.

 

 

Note: if you observe any one looking uneasy.. searching for a seat, complaining about not feeling well, offer your seat, and move away quickly before the chunks blow!

 

SSP.