I had heard many people talking of western people, their life, and many other good things. Indeed, they’re miles ahead. But, some of my findings shook my deeply-rooted thoughts when I had to plumb the depths of some kind of racism and witnessed the dearth of real touch of humanity.

After coming out of La Bourget Airport in Paris, while I was strolling in the station, wondering where I could buy a train ticket for Brussels, four security officers each carrying a sophisticated weapon stopped me. Reasoning that they want to check, I tried to unzip my luggage, but I was asked to freeze. Two of them inspected my bag and went through my documents and notebook while two asked how much money I had, as they said, “One needs to have more than 10,000 Euro to stay in Paris for a month.” In a nutshell, I produced my wallet, some cash and visa card. I was very much hurt.

Later, every time time I visited Aldi which is like Carrefour and Lidl shopping centre, the lady at the counter checked me. Initially, I took it as their normal duty. But when I noticed that a native’s satchels weren’t combed, it really burned me up because there’s nothing on this earth worse than being discriminated that you hate but can do nothing about.

In the same shopping place, when one of my African friends provided the small changes of Euro coins— 1,2,5,10,20,50 cents and 1,2 Euro coins— the woman at the counter refused to take it. Publicly humiliated as my friend felt, in a huff, he left the stuffs and drove the empty trolley out. These two distinct demeanours made me feel the strand of racism.

In my frequent commuting, I discerned, the students usually put their bags on the window side seat while sitting in the passage side seat, but would never offer the seat, or bother to remove their bags, to the person standing, unless asked for.

Besides this, I was flabbergasted to discover teenage students not extending a helping hand to an octogenarian woman in a moving bus.

It is believed that young school

children are the real reflection.

Nevertheless, the full significance for moral development of the type of

‘Ideal Person’ chosen is not known, but it seems safe to assume that such choices can not be ignored as potential influences in the young students’ moral development.