IN PUBLIC PLACES
The daily routine of the average man; safe the monks and the nuns who live their lives in seclusion, demands on him the need to leave the perimeters of his private space where he is privileged to enjoy his personal live while conducting or indulging himself in whatever it is that “rocks his boat”.
These self pleasures ranging from broad categorizations as; habits and pet peeves, to abuses and ritualistic attitudes which in the comfort of the absence of prying eyes and a second or third man with the holographic appearance of a nosy judge in what can be said to be “personal businesses” cannot be downplayed.
Research has it that, the brain pattern of individuals differ, one man to the other. These differences control our personal preferences, tastes and offsets. In a related research, the geographic location of a person influences these aforementioned differences and almost always defines how such person(s) conduct themselves in public places and how certain people react to certain impulses, stimulations and things in their immediate environment viz; tolerance and intolerances, mood swings, tantrums, obvious discomforts, are evident responses put forward by different people in different situations.
In contrast to the ideals of conducting self in public places, the typical man yearns and craves unrestrained expression which society and civilization tends to police. To pick one’s nose, or scratch the hind quarters, or crotch and pelvic stroking, the forceful snorting and clearing of one’s airways or nostrils and the eventual high pitch sound, to mention the mildly offensive ones, to smoking, indecent exposures and perversions and there is the issue of music of whatever sorts regardless of a heterogeneous section of people present or passing through the reaches of the particular odor, sight and sound of the disturbance respectively.
This is inherent in many metropolitan African cities and some cities of the world where the public codes of conduct largely condones the very sensitive nature of the abuse of public spaces and the inconveniences caused to the people with whom these unscrupulous entities share the space they carelessly defile.
Public places may include; subways, bus stops, parks, gatherings, in transit, airports, banks, schools, restaurants and cafes, lounges and other places of convergence for several reasons.
The conducting of self in such places is a telling culture on the civility, respect to and of others, consideration of the mental and physical well being of other people in the space as the activities to be carried out may affect these people.
While smoking in transit or in public places seems gangster and cool at the moment, the risk it poses to the next man ****nursing asthma or the woman nursing a child or the man with a nicotine gum or patch desperately fighting the addictive life of a smoker is a factor for consideration***.
While exercising the pervasive muscles and flashing the treaties under the zipper or the blouse, it is pertinent to remember the effect it has on the teenager in tow, the distasteful imprint on the person(s) who sees it, the decimation of the mental green in a person’s head from the violation done as a result of selfish indulgences.
While taking in the highs of pop, blues, juju, fuji, soul, country music or whatever genre; it is only wise to consider ***the man who is returning with extra hours of work down the day/night and has a headache, or the man who so desires to keep a healthy mind void of the corruptions of music, or the man who is tipped off by certain kinds of music, whose day would be made worse by your personal astringencies.****
These issues as it affects the daily lives of the people around us and the perception of people about us raises a question on how best a civil minded fellow should present himself/herself in public without posing a threat, or an inconvenience to the people that cross paths with him, or sell himself as an excess member of a cultured community.
#In public places;
- Keep hands away from the pits of the body; mouth, nose, armpits and genitals
- Keep the discomfort of an itching to yourself (body, anus and throat), that can be disenchanting and irritating to others
- Moderacy in dressing, in interaction, with respect to the convenience of others
- Shave armpits, wear mild deodorants and breathe fresh
- If you must enjoy music, listen only on a volume that will not filter through a crowd or kick the beat of the hearts of others, best listen on a headphone*
- In transit, find a distraction, a book, a chatty fellow to relieve your mind off the pressures of the oppressing voice telling you to flash something in the faces of people. The meat of a person’s body, especially the parts the genius of fashion designed to be kept under is best kept under
- Smoke cannot be kept in check, as the diffusion of gases (air and fumes) cannot be controlled. Hence smoking should be considered "a private business". The public is a place of multitudes with diverse issues, health, mental and emotional issues and this should be respected
- Food also comes with ranging specters of aroma which can be offsetting and discomfiting to a particular person. The occasional accidental soiling of another person’s cloth in the case of eating can also ruin a person’s day. Food is best eaten in restaurants, while seated
Generally, there is a growing need for policies and legislations that encompass the “perfect gentleman” personality as it relates to public space management. The saying goes that “where there is no law, there is no crime” and the possibilities from giving such laws with probable penalties stands to raise awareness on the issue and correct the excesses of people while creating a new world that is mentally healthy and physically responsible in its dealings with the environment and the people therein.
However, in a civilized world, certain values need not be enforced, but a culture, knowing the effects our actions and inactions has over other is enough to keep us in check next time we are out in public and conduct selves properly.
