Everyday I live my life, taking life for granted: I get up in the morning, eat some breakfast, go to work, go home, eat some more, then sleep. Life becomes a routine. You never know when something unexpected might happen though. You might meet someone, you might win the lottery, or you might see a life get extinguished right before you. I usually never blog about my personal feelings, but I think today qualifies for an exception.
At around 1800 today, I was waiting for the subway on my way home, when the unexpected happened. The train appeared in the tunnel just about to stop at the platform when a figure gained speed and disappeared down on the rails, just a blink of an eye before the train pulled in. A loud thumb followed as the train ran over the figure. The noise as the emergency brakes on the train kicked in, and the figure was probably torn apart by the wheels of the train, really didn’t sink in until later. The platform was evacuated, and all the people in the train stuck as the train came to a stop 1/3 onto the platform, most of the train still in the tunnel. I reacted with shock, not just for the figure who just had its life ended, but also because of the kids laughing and shouting “did you see him jump?”, the adult people who seemed more worried about how they were about to get home, and the lack of control of the platform guards. I really hope they reacted with shock , and that this indifference of a figures life isn’t characteristic. I feel sorry for the disturbed figure who chose to end its life by jumping, but even more for the poor soul who drove the train, having to live with the images of those crucial seconds.
Two hours later the trains are rolling again. The figure has been removed. The rails have been cleaned. The only indication of whats happened is a note on the metro website saying there was a temporary stop due to an “accident”, as they understandably don’t say anything about suicides. I wont forget what I saw though, the driver will probably not forget either. Life goes on…
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