On October 28, 2018, a bus in Chongqing, while crossing a bridge, swerved and dropped into the Yangtze, drowning all the 15 people on board, the driver included.

The whole nation condemns the woman who beat and insulted the bus driver. It was her bitchery that was directly to blame for the accident. Many of us, however, wonder why the fellow passengers did not stand up and stop the bitch from behaving that way.

This tragedy is reminiscent of a scene which unfolded on a bus that I took one day a few months ago.

That day I took a bus to my grandpa’s for lunch. It was rush hour and the traffic was extremely heavy. People came and went at every stop along the route. At one stop, an old man boarded the bus. Several stops on, he asked the driver, “Does the bus go to Taihe Hospital?”

The driver responded immediately, “No, this bus does not go to Taihe Hospital. You have taken the wrong bus.”

Because of the ongoing hubbub, the old guy did not seem to get the reply. Or his hearing might not be perfect. He asked the same question again. The driver ignored him. At the time, the traffic extremely busy, the driver had to pay undivided attention to other vehicles on the road.

Feeling slighted, the old man raised his voice. It was getting louder and louder. Luckily, a young man standing next to the old guy told him that he was on the wrong bus. He also told him where to get off and take a right one. Thus, a potential conflict was resolved by the young man’s willingness to help. Thanks to his timely act, the small issue did not balloon out of control into a tragedy.

Sometimes we should take the initiative to help. By serving others, we are also helping ourselves.