The Queue

 

                                              (photo: PIA Surigao del Sur)

    For two hours, I queued to cast my votes. Here are some of the things I observed while enduring the heat and the impatience mushrooming inside:

·        THE UNRULY YOUNGSTERS. There are some young people ahead of me who were tinkering on their phones. I really wonder who started the trend of going out in public with the clothes you wore during your sleep. The ill-dressed phone-toting persons failed to move forward allowing the line to be jammed, I raised my voice telling them to consider others not just themselves. They did not even say anything but a side glance.

·             THE SMOKERS. Isn’t it illegal to smoke inside school premises and other public areas? What about passive smoking among the senior citizens who were nearby?

·             THE PACK. In Psychology, there is an effect of feigned confidence when you will be with your group of friends that you forget that it is improper to shout and laugh so loud in social encounters. It made the teacher who acted as the chairperson of the voting proceedings on the area to scold them.

·             THE MARITES. There are those who will pull themselves out of the queue to meet others and have passive talks making the line to become broken and chaotic.

·               THE RESPECTFUL FAMILY MEMBERS. I encountered sons, daughters and grandchildren assisting the elderly in exercising their right of suffrage. It warms the heart seeing people who still value their lolos ,lolas and parents.

·               THE RESEARCHERS. I overheard two college students talking about their effort to make the researches they are doing be more meaningful. They mentioned that even if the subject is difficult, the learning is worth the while.

·              THE BEHAVED FLOCK. Contrary to the belief that there are unruly ones than the behaved, I was able to witness young and old people patiently waiting for their turns.

I could have brought a book with me to let the time pass productively. But I was really distracted with this thought: The polling precinct only accommodated ten persons to have physical distancing. Yet the crowd outside was like ants kissing each other.

So much for the queue. Let us move towards making our individual tasks become contributory to make our country prosper.