Some of you may have read Shorty’s latest entry. If you haven’t, then read it here first before you continue reading the rest of this.
Over the weekend Shorty was telling my sister about what happened on the plane. As the story went on and on I could see my sister’s face get redder and redder. It’s like she was getting really angry for me.
Then it came to the part where I apologized to the man and I think my sister totally lost it. She was like “WHY?!! HE WAS SO RUDE!!!”.
Here’s what I was thinking. I just had an argument with a man. Yes he was rude first and yes he started it but nevertheless we had a heated argument. I was sitting on my seat with Fighter on my lap (who was completely oblivious of the argument though) and thinking about what just happened. I couldn’t shake the fact that what I said to him was rude. Yes it was in the midst of a heated argument and he was saying just as rude or hurtful things but two wrongs don’t make a right. Or an eye for an eye makes the world go blind.
It’s really easy to pick a fight with somebody but it’s really hard to apologize especially when you’re wrong. Part of the reason why it’s hard to apologize is because you’ll never know how the other end would respond. But I decided to try anyway.
After 5 minutes of silence I said to him “Can we start again?”.
I think the first time round he couldn’t believe I was talking to him so I repeated myself “Can we start again?”.
I was prepared that he might just respond with a “FUCK OFF!” and that would suck but at least I tried. But he didn’t. He just turned and looked at me. So I continued
“Look… I’m sorry about what I said. It was uncalled for. Now let me explain my issue to you. My issue is that I need to be on the front row because I need the basinet and I need to stay around my wife in case she needs help with my other baby. If I were traveling on my own I would gladly oblige and move to the back but I’m not. So that’s my issue. Could you tell me yours?”.
He went on to explain that he had paid for this front row seat and he wanted it and how he was surprised I fought back because he wasn’t talking to me directly (even though he was talking about me in front of me to the cabin manager).
We talked things out and we ended up having lots of conversation on the flight. He later explained to me that whenever he makes a big enough of a fuss, the cabin manager would compensate him and that was all part of his plan. Not the kind of thing I would do since it comes at the expense of spoiling someone elses’ day but okay that’s his choice.
Shorty was shocked though. When we were chatting away like best friends I happen to notice her staring at me from the corner of my eye with a “wtf?!” look.
So there. I talk about #kempensopansantun all the time and the need to call out rude people when they’re rude. That includes myself when I’m rude. Besides I think because I apologized and we ended the argument amicably he was a bit more tolerant of Fighter’s crying throughout the flight.
He never apologized but well some people aren’t really good with saying sorry.
Timothy Tiah – Co-Founder of Colony, Kuala Lumpur Co-Working Space