by M.S. Lindsey

Created on: December 21, 2006   Last Updated: April 30, 2007

Entitlement and the Art of Humanity

Trenton's train station is a disaster. The uninviting gray concrete building under construction, coupled with the toneless, morose service of the employees, creates an offensive cloud repelling all joy that should accompany travelers. My wife and I sat under this cloud, on the cleanest of the grungy benches, waiting for an Amtrak train into D.C. which was an hour behind schedule. Waiting in the New Jersey Transit's hallmark station is about as fun as waiting for the dentist to jab a 6 inch needle into your tender gums. In traveling, patience is required, a virtue which runs like a small trickling stream in my character, but celestially, is a strong force in my wife's character. And having balance in my life through my wife is exactly what I need, especially in situations where the factors can easily tip my scales, weighing heavy on the curt, impatient side.

But wait patiently I did, to my lovely wife's credit for sure. The train arrived looking like a worn out, overworked horse, and out spilled several stressed Amtrak employees who began ordering all of the commuters and travelers to board the train. They were talking down to us as if we did not know that the train was an hour behind. "Get on board! Hurry, we are late!" one screamed out as if we were at fault. We entered a car, searching out open seats, as everybody on that train watched the newcomers with anxious eyes. I almost felt guilty for buying a ticket and slowing the whole train down. We bumped our way through several cars before we entered the "quiet car." For those of you who do not know, the quiet car is a car where any noise from a passenger is outlawed, forbidden, prohibited and down right illegal. I learned this as I was loudly and aggressively told to sit down and be quiet while the train personnel angrily fulfilled his job description by laying down the rules, "There will be NO LOUD conversations in the quiet car. There will be NO CELL PHONE use in the quiet car. THIS IS THE QUIET CAR!" Don't get me wrong, I love the quiet car. It can be an oasis for a tired or busy commuter; it was the manner in which we were all told to be quiet that made the quiet car a turn off. At each stop, the train steward would shout out the location walking up and down the isle all the while his walkie-talkie was crackling and screeching sounds that reminded me of radio waves from outer space. As new passengers boarded, he would again bark out the rules of conduct of the holy "quiet

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