歩くゴミ箱 A Walking Garbage Box

歩くゴミ箱

ある新聞の投書欄に次のような投書が載った。（要旨のみ）

私は８０歳の老人であるが、近所の遊歩道や公園をウオーキングするときにトングをもって空き缶や弁当の空箱を拾っている。この９年間やっている。ところが、通りすがりの人やベンチに座っている人が、私を歩くゴミ箱扱いして、「おじさん、ほら、そこにゴミ」とか「お父さん、そこにもあるわよ」と指図がましいことを言う。彼らはなぜ自分でゴミを拾ってゴミ箱に捨てずに、人に指図するのか。私は自主的にゴミを拾っているのに、「ゴミを拾うのはあんたの役目でしょ」と言わんばかりだ。私は「自分でやったらどうや。失礼と思わんか」と言ってやる。最近はこういう得手勝手な人が多い。腹が立つ。

　私もこの投書を読んで腹が立った。最近の若者は老人に席を譲らない。韓国に行ったとき、私と女房がバスに乗ると、座っていた二人の若者が即座に起立し、席を譲ってくれた。そういえば、つい先日も私が地下鉄の老人席に座っていると（私は白髪の後期高齢者）、杖を突いた老女が乗ってきて私の前に立った。電車が動くと、よろけないように杖で体を支えている。老人席に座っていた若者（複数）が誰も席を譲ろうとしない。私は老女を見上げて、（この席に座りませんか）とジェスチャで老女にサインを送った。老女は首を縦に振り、私は老女に席を譲った。

　老人席に座っていた若者たちはスマホを相変わらずいじっていた。腹が立った。日本の将来は暗い。

A Walking Garbage Box

A letter to the Letters to the Editor Column in the newspaper I subscribe said: (the following is the summary.) 

------------------------------

　 I am an 80-year-old man. I make it a rule to take a walk along the walkway or in the park near my house with tongs in my hand. While I am walking, I pick up garbage like empty cans and discarded lunch boxes. I have been doing this for the past nine years. To my irritation, however, the people passing by or sitting on the bench regard me as a walking garbage box and give me directions:

     “Hey, old man, some garbage over there,” or “Look, more garbage here.”

Why don’t they pick up the garbage and throw it into the garbage box? I am voluntarily picking up garbage, but they sound like saying, “It’s your duty to pick up garbage.” I want to say to them, “Why don’t you do it yourselves. You are very rude.” I deplore that there are too many selfish people today.

------------------------------

I became angry to read his letter. Recently many young people do not give up their seats to aged people. When my wife and I went to Korea a few years ago, two young people gave up their seats immediately after we got on a bus. The other day, when I was sitting in a priority seat in a subway train (I am 76 years old and deserve a priority seat), an old woman with a stick got on the subway train and stood in front of me. When the train started, she tried to stand firmly with the support of her stick, but she was staggering. None of the young people sitting in the propriety seats gave up their seats. Therefore, I looked up at her eyes and said to her by means of gestures, “Do you want to sit here?” She nodded an affirmative. I gave up my seat to her.

The young people were operating their smartphones. I got angry. The future of Japan is doomed.