50 hours in Seoul

As I was completing my first fifty hours in Seoul, I was having the first experience with Seoul underground metro railway. We took a train from City Hall to Euljiro 3 (probably pronounced as Al-gero), shifted track and then took another train to Chungmuro. Then we discovered that our hotel is at 2 minutes walk from Chungmuro railway station. There are a lot of things that can be written about the metro. But I guess it's no different from metro rails in other developed contries. Every Indian knows about them either from his own experience when travelling abroad, or has heard about it from someone who has travelled. So I won't write much about it. I want to write about just one thing, that struck me, and I am not sure whether you'll not find it everywhere.

To come up from the underground railway station on to the road there are escalaters. These escalators are wide enough for two persons standing besides eachother. However on no step there were two persons standing. Everyone was standing on the right side of the escalator. The left side was free for people who were in real hurry and were running up the escalator to save time!! I loved this spirit!

Sunday was independence day. And the usual question presented itself. "Will we have flag hoisting in our society this time"? Every 15th August and 26th January this question troubles everybody. May be not everybody, otherwise it wouldn't exist. It troubles some of the more socially conscious people in our society. It was past 10 a.m. and there was no sign of anybody. A notice informing everybody about flag hoisting had failed to arrive the previous day. The watchman too did not come up to remind us of our duty. Every year people's interest is dwindling. Or so they say. For as usual the flag hoisting and singing of our National Anthem did take place. More then a dozen people and about two dozen kids attended it. I was, of course, one of them.

I don't want to turn this blogsite into a site of quotations. It's just that I didn't get any time in last 2 - 3 weeks to write anything, nor do I remember having thought of anything that's worth writing. On the other hand, not only is it very easy to post a good quote when you come across it, but it is also very difficult to ignore it. So, my last few blogs have been copy-paste of goods quotes I came across. Adding one more to the series:

One element of maturity is the realization that we don't get away with anything. Any advantage gained or convenience taken, any private procrastination or insincerity, no matter how subtle or quick in passing, is paid for.
Hugh Prather
Clergyman and writer

Though I read this only yesterday, I have had this thought in my mind every moment for last few years. One has to do what is right and moral to the best of one's abilities, no matter how inconvinient or difficult it may be.