Traffic Lights

The jeepney I was riding was on a rush, trying to beat the traffic light as it shone like a golden full moon in spite of the sun. It did not make it. It had to suddenly stop when the traffic light turned from yellow to red. The sudden halt resulted to the effects of inertia, I almost fell to my seat. Upon gaining my consciousness from the mini-second state of shock by the turning to zero of the vehicle’s speed, I saw a van moving from the opposite side of the street. It was a peculiar sight, notwithstanding the fact that it was just a van among many others, probably 10 vans at that instant. This van opened its window and threw a “bottle” and a roll of tissue. I wondered why. Then I saw a man who had a minor accident with a motorcycle. From what I saw, I could infer that he just stood up from the ground. His right palm was bleeding. He picked up the alcohol bottle and the tissue paper on the road. He immediately wrapped his hand with the tissue to stop it from bleeding. He placed the alcohol inside his backpack. He positioned his motorcycle, ready to run the moment the traffic light turns to green. I kept on wondering how bad it felt to drive a motorcycle with a wounded right hand. If the man was right-handed (which was more likely to be true) I bet it was even difficult for the man to ask for help or contact any family member because he would not be able to text with a bleeding palm. I felt for the man while holding my own right palm and trying to imagine, while listening to the jeepney driver as he delivered his litany of comments on how motorcycle drivers should always be careful. The person occupying the passenger seat even said“Ang tanga kasi eh alam na titigil na [referring to the traffic light] at paliko pa.” We were bystanders. I was a bystander listening to the people standing by while another person was trying to defy the bystander effect. I admired the person who instantly cared and provided alcohol and tissue paper. Admirable is that person who had the instinct to help in a short span of time as the changing of the color of the traffic light from one to another. The person tried to help as he rode a moving van, moving away – an actual manifestation that only motion in the literal sense [or action in the ideal sense] can defy the bystander effect. Amazing how instinctual it gets to start the engine upon seeing the green while a person can be stuck at the red when help is needed, or at the yellow or the state when one is indecisively undecided what to do. Traffic light turned to green. The motorcycle moved ahead of the jeepney. The jeepney then moved, as if nothing happened.