Misaligned Expectations
The older I get...
Post-COVID there feels as though there is a level of expectation that sits at the heart of the nation (England).
Every time I walk down the road I need to move out of the way of other human beings as they are more important than me. Many of my 10,000 steps a day are now spent weaving in and out of crowds, whereas before COVID there was courtesy.
You could simply read the above and consider that I am missing 'the good old days', yet that is not the case, I am merely sticking up for basic decency in this world.
The London Tube Network
Before COVID it was give and take on the paths, now it is everyone for themselves and the same can be seen on the tubes. Before the pandemic, the etiquette was to take your bag off and place it between your feet, now you keep your bag on. Extending beyond this is the thought that people no longer let others off first and it's just sad.
It is not like I am pitching for people to add 20 minutes to their lives, it is merely to think of others first and not even that, basic common sense. You will be given time to get on the tube, it is not New York (there you had seconds before the door closed).
Even if you are unable to get on the tube then all you need to do is wait on the platform for another couple of minutes and another train will arrive. If the line is closed then walk a short way, get on the bus or grab an Uber.
Apathy
Now this may be going a step too far but it feels like a layer of apathy that has come across the country and this is where the problems lay. People lack purpose in their days as things are very grey right now.
Not just weather-wise but also economically, things aren't exactly looking great. Closures, lack of investment, recession, words like this meet us every single day and they create a level of apathy in your surroundings as not adhering to the basic courtesies is something that you can control.
I hope that I do not come across like this to others, but who knows? I am worried about the future for the first time in my life. I worry about my legacy and if I will be able to support my family as they should be but I know that forgetting the simple things in life will not lead me to glory.
The Basics of Life
Saying hello when you meet someone, letting people off the tube first and offering up your seat to those who need it more are basics. These are considerations that provide our lives with meaning and follow us from the day we are born to the day when we die.
I would love to live forever but know that I cannot. Nature cannot be altered at this time and so all I can do is focus on the here and now, which is the purpose of life.
My job may no longer be here next year and I may have a family to support but even if life reaches these levels then it does not mean that I would forget the basics. It is something that is easy to say and maybe if and when this scenario arrives, I would join the crowd, yet I trust that would not be the case.
My Grandad taught me that you should think of others first and that is something that I will hold on to from now and until the day I die. I hope that I can pass these lessons on to my children as that is something that will allow me to walk away happy.
A Final Thought
It doesn't take much to smile or offer your seat up to another. It doesn't take many seconds away from your day to let others off the tube first and it doesn't take much to take your bag off, so why don't you do it?
About the Creator
Ben Shelley
Someone who has no idea about where their place is in this world, yet for the love of content, must continue writing.
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Comments (11)
So lovely ✍️📕🏆♦️♦️♦️
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Honestly I'm right with you - I live in a small town in Scotland, but I work in Glasgow and I've visited London many times. The change has been palpable and it drives me nuts, call me a chronic country girl but I can't abide bad manners and it seems that's all alot of people have in public right now 😂 we just gotta keep on keeping on and hope putting out kindness and manners will eventually start bringing them back into vogue
Small acts of kindness cost nothing but mean everything. Courtesy isn’t outdated—it’s just forgotten.
Basic decency - I'm all for that, being polite, helping others….the world is somewhat crazed after COVID. Great work on this story and congrats on TS!
When I first arrived in the UK many, many moons ago, these were among the myriad of things I found quite puzzling. It can be even unsettling, but the most helpful strategy is modeling behaviour VERY LOUDLY. Kindness still changes people. Grandfather (and Grandmother) were right. Congratulations on the TS!
I work on a university campus and ever year it seems the new freshmen have less and less interpersonal skills. The Internet and COVID have created a generation of isolation. They are more comfortable interacting online than in person. I walk around the dining room of my restaurant and see groups sitting at tables all staring at their phones or laptops instead of conversing with the real people around them. They are so absorbed in themselves and their online lives, they don't see each other anymore. But then, I see the good ones. When someone spills their bag and another rushes to help. The ones who hold open doors and help carry awkwardly oversized projects for strangers. An employee who smiles and says "hello, how are classes going" to every customer, not because it's his job but because he actually cares. There are good eggs out there still. And they are infectious. I've seen one encourage an entire group to be more engaged and thoughtful just through his example. Sounds like you might just be one of those good eggs. Keep it up and stay positive.
Your reflection on post-COVID life and the importance of basic decency is thought-provoking and poignant. Your words resonate deeply and encourage a return to kindness.
It’s not just the Tube, it’s everywhere—people rushing, heads down, no patience, no kindness. Feels like we all got a little colder after the pandemic, like survival mode never switched off. But damn, if we stop caring about the little things, what are we even doing? This was a gut check. Appreciate you writing it, Ben 😊
Nice work . Please check my stories out as well if you get a chance.
The problem is (and nobody likes admitting it), there, are too many impolite people in this world. I live with someone who has severe pain because of his disabilities. He walks with a walking stick and he has a right-sided limp; often when we are in town, people push past him or those behind him get annoyed and become rude because he can't walk past. He doesn't use buses because they cause him more pain, and I don't use them because of my trauma issues. However, every now and then, we have to try and push past it to use a coach when travelling further away, because he can't drive that far. It slows us down because of our issues, and rather than being kind people simply push past us. It's mean and impolite.