My right to swing my arm ends exactly where the other fellow’s nose begins. I honestly enjoy setting punch lines at the very beginning of my writings. I believe they hold the readers’ attention and that is what every writer wants. But I am careful enough to make sure sarcasm weighs less in those punch lines.

Not that is how I define one part of consideration, as a writer to-be, which is literary consideration. Thanking someone when anything good is done to you, apologising for errors that you make, saying “excuse me” even if you don’t frighten the one next to you after you sneeze, responding with a “God bless you” once the person besides you sneezes, a humble “pardon me” if you couldn’t catch what the other person just said are some basic etiquettes that proclaim your degree of consideration. These are trifle things that make you a gentleman. But it’s not always that you are reciprocated the same way for your deeds.

Now talking about this, I have one incident in store when my consideration was considered in a manner so unexpected. Recently, I was travelling on a bus and an old lady boarded after a certain distance was covered. Since no more seats were vacant in the bus, I offered my seat to the old lady. I felt immensely satisfied with my gesture. A boy who was probably of the same age as I was boarded the bus after the bus had travelled a certain distance. The boy happened to be the old lady’s grandson. I was so lost in my own world swelling with pride that I did not even pay much attention to the lady and her grandson. When the bus reached the old lady’s destination, she stood up from her seat, pulled her grandson by his elbow and shoved him very briskly on the seat. She then walked out of the bus so coolly that I just couldn’t believe my eyes. And that was how I was paid for my consideration!

Today’s world is a busy one and consideration at the apposite places is what I suggest to you. Not many people stop by to do good these days. How many times have the people in the crowd considered you? That is why my doctor tells me every time I go to see him, “Smoke my dear friend or else someone else will smoke in your place, compelling you to become a passive smoker!”