Ego Sphere
Ignoring the civic sense
Here is the true public face. We ignore rules. Roads are our function halls by blocking them, queues are to cut, and public spaces are to litter. We act as if the world exists only for our convenience, caring little about others around us. At home, the same people follow rules and keep the cleanliness. But outside, selfishness is all that shines. We Fail in Public but Shine at Home
The Old Man Story
Once upon a time, there was a small town where an old man named Bhuvan lived. Every morning, he would wake up early and sweep the street in front of his house. The lane was always clean because of him. People loved walking there, but no one ever offered to help.
One day, Bhuvan fell sick and couldn’t go out. The very next morning, the street was full of garbage. Everyone walked past it, complaining, “Why isn’t the road clean today?” but no one bent down to pick up a single wrapper. By evening, the whole lane smelled bad.
Then, a little boy asked his father, “Papa, why do we wait for the old man to clean what we all dirty every day?” The father had no answer.
What We Never Learned as Children
From childhood, many of us are not taught to clean up after ourselves. At home, a maid or our parents pick up our mess. At school, classrooms are left to sweepers. In society, cleaning is seen as someone else’s job.
Children aren’t taught to clean their own classrooms. They don’t grow up with the idea that shared spaces are “theirs” and so they protect them. In India, we often don’t feel the sense of ownership over public spaces. If you follow rules here, sometimes people even laugh at you. But if everyone around you does the right thing, you will naturally follow too.
What is civic sense?
It’s an unsaid rule where you learn by looking at other people on how to behave in public, how to care for the environment, the community, people around you. It means being polite, caring for your surroundings, and respecting rules made for everyone’s safety. Sadly, this is something many of us don’t know. We may be educated, but real education shows in how we behave outside our homes. But unfortunately, we Indians lack civic sense.
The Spitting Culture
Another habit we Indians don’t even think twice about is spitting in public. Bus stops, railway stations, building corners, even staircases you’ll find red stains everywhere from pan, gutka, or just random spit. It’s become so normal that many people don’t even notice it anymore. What’s worse is that many educated people also do it, proving again that this problem is not about literacy, but about civic sense.
When Rash Driving Steals Lives
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Every year many deaths happened because of overspeeding. That means most of these lives could have been saved if people had followed rules. When one person drives rashly, it doesn’t just risk lives, it also raises insurance costs and causes financial stress for everyone.
Indian Railways lost crores annually because passengers stole things like pillows, blankets, bulbs, and mugs. Who pays for this? All of us. These costs are added to ticket prices, which means your fares increase because someone else stole.
The Psychology of Clean Spaces
If you enter a clean metro station, you’ll notice nobody dares to litter. But step outside, and people start throwing trash because “everyone else is doing it.” When a place looks dirty, people feel it’s okay to make it dirtier. But when a place looks beautiful, people try to keep it that way.
Public Spaces, Private Misuse
People misuse shared resources for their own benefit. For example, someone throws garbage outside to keep his home clean, but now the street is dirty for everyone else. In a recent yoga event, people even snatched free yoga mats instead of standing in line.
These may look like small acts, but together, they take away our peace of mind, our happiness, and even our money. It’s about small daily action like throwing trash in a bin, waiting in a queue, driving with patience, respecting shared spaces. These simple habits give us peace of mind, save money, protect our health, and make life happier for everyone.
On the first day of release bursting crackers inside or outside theatres, pouring milk on cutouts of their stars or throwing paper and confetti in theatres. While it’s meant as celebration, it sometimes ends up damaging property or disturbing others. Blocking traffic, or creating huge noisy rallies disturbs the general public who may not even be part of the celebration. Streets are often blocked, making it difficult for ambulances, or emergency services to pass.
Public places often have clearly marked areas meant only for women and men in buses, trains, or even at bathing ghats. Yet many men casually occupy those spaces as if the rule doesn’t exist.
Civic sense is not one-sided. Just as men should respect spaces marked for women, women too should respect fairness in public transport.
Men in Women’s Seats. In buses, trains, and ghats, many men casually sit in seats reserved for women, ignoring safety rules.
Women in Men’s Seats: On the other hand, many women occupy all seats, including those not reserved for them, forcing men to stand long distances. This may look harmless, but it breaks the balance. True civic sense is about equal respect.
Civic sense is about small daily actions. Throwing trash in a bin. Waiting in a queue. Driving with patience. Respecting shared spaces. These tiny habits create huge change. They save money, protect health, and make life happier for everyone. Civic sense is not the government’s duty or the police’s job. It is a reflection of who we are as people.
Do we want to be the old man who cleaned the street, or the crowd that kept complaining?
Thanks for reading.
