A recent experience on a MRT train has sparked reflection about empathy and kindness in modern city life.
A passenger’s experience sparks reflection on kindness in public transport.
A moment on a MRT train has sparked reflection about empathy and public courtesy after a passenger, Liang Chee Hou, witnessed a blind mother struggling to find a seat while travelling with her two children.
He shared this experience on his Facebook, the woman boarded the train with a blind cane in hand and two children by her side. She moved cautiously through the carriage, sweeping the cane from side to side to detect obstacles and navigate the space.
Despite the clear indication that she might need assistance, not a single passenger initially stood up to offer their seat.
“Some passengers remained focused on their phones, while others continued chatting. Even that a few people who had been using their phones moments earlier quickly put them away and pretended to sleep as the woman approached,” he wrote.
A small act of help
Eventually, Liang decided to stand up and offer his seat to the mother, gesturing for the mother to sit.
For a brief moment, the woman appeared unsure of where the seat was. The moving train made it difficult for her cane to locate it precisely, so Liang guided her gently to the seat.
He shared that the action was not meant to be seen as something extraordinary.
Helping someone who is elderly, blind, or otherwise in need should simply be a normal act of courtesy, he said, rather than something that deserves praise.
A moment that sparked reflection
What struck him most was not the act of giving up a seat, but the silence of the carriage beforehand.
In recent years, public conversations around courtesy on public transport have often been framed around personal choice, with some arguing that seats are a public resource available on a first-come, first-served basis.
However, the incident raised a deeper question about empathy and social responsibility, especially when someone clearly needs assistance.
The memory of a kind gesture
The moment also reminded Liang of his childhood memory.
Years ago, when i were about six or seven years old, my mother once took a crowded bus home from Pudu on a weekend evening. The bus was packed, yet a stranger stood up and offered his seat to my mother and me. I ended up sitting on my mother’s leg for the ride home.
Today, the identity of that man has long been forgotten. His face and name are no longer remembered.
But the memory of the stranger’s kindness remains clear.
Many years ago, on a crowded bus, a stranger chose to stand so that a mother would not have to.
And that small act of kindness is still remembered by Liang till this day.
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