To queue or not to queue: the logic behind standing in a line.

A queue plays a great leveler in the society. Irrespective of what’s your standing in the pecking order, you are jostling with people of varied social class in that damn line to wait for your turn. Sometimes a spirit of comradeship suddenly develops among the people who are standing in a queue for a common goal. An example to testify this fact is those serpentine lines outside ATMs and banks when demonetization in our country was announced. People from different background stood in the queue with one motive , talking about the same issue- Money. 

During that time queues were more ubiquitous but standing in that long dreaded queue, waiting to be served is not a new feature in our country. Since time immemorial Indians have been standing in a queue at bill counters, polling booth, boarding gates, hospitals and even waited patiently for their turn to go onto the stage to wish newlyweds a happy married life.

Though, waiting for ones’ chance, by taking a place in a line is nobody’s favourite job but the protocol says it’s important for the smooth delivery of the services to the public. Plus the etiquettes demand it.But ours is a country which resent this culture so much that we take pride in either cutting the line or not standing in it at all. Instead, we like making a mad rush to the front, thereby declaring others “stupid” who are patiently waiting in the queue. Haven’t you noticed this pandemonium in multiplexes? Although the seats are pre-fixed in the theatre but the moment the door is open, people swarm in from all the sides thinking they will miss the movies if they are not the first ones to sit. The same happens while getting into and out of elevators, bus, train or flights.

This reminds me of an incident when I, along with my family went to a very famous temple in Chennai. Now in this famous temple, standing in a queue and waiting for your turn to have a quick glimpse of the God is no mean feat. The line inched forward and after two hours we, along with many other devotees, found ourselves placed in the inner sanctum of the temple where the God’s idol was placed. To my horror, a big, hairy pot-belly of a dhoti-clad person was rubbing against the face of my three-foot high child. I immediately carried her in my arms but no sooner found myself crowded by people who were clamoring to get the darshan of their God .Fearing an imminent stampede, I asked my husband to get out immediately. We bowed before Him and somehow made our way out.

A queue is also a good litmus test of a person’s endurance, patience and survival tactics. How else would you explain the presence of these traits in you , when the person standing behind you in the line is breathing down your neck or encroaches upon your personal space ; so much that after sometime you won’t be able to distinguish between your body odour and his. I wonder what happened to the good old school of thought, wherein we were taught to maintain an arm’s length with the person standing in front of you.

But then again, if any part of your neighbours’ body is not touching you literally, while standing in a queue,  then there are high chances of someone else filling in the gap. So standing in line teaches a person another important lesson of life: always be that hawk-eyed person whom nobody can befool.

Now lets discuss the typical traits of the person who would nonchalantly come and land himself in the line, not at the end but right in front of you? Well, he might think himself superior to other beings, so is arrogant enough not to stand in a line. Or, he is one of those impatient ones who want to get things done immediately. Another plausible reason of him disrespecting the code of conduct could be his “me-first” attitude which gets the better of him. This selfishness combined with lack of etiquettes on part of people like him makes a genuine person like you really frustrated. A sense of restlessness creeps into you eventually, tempting you too to break the line-up rules. Vicious circle, Eh?

Well jumping or not jumping the queue is an individual choice but the common sense says that if a queue progresses smoothly in a fair manner,each person in line will be achieve the end result fast and without any hitch. Sounds apt, doesn’t it?