Something crazy happened on Tuesday evening. I was riding the subway home with a friend from class and there was this paranoid girl (a teenager) yelling at people for looking at her. No one was looking at her…of course. My friend and I continued talking and tried to ignore her when she got in my face. I calmly told her that no one was looking at her and that I didn’t have a problem with her. She was moving around a lot and ended up standing by the door and my back was a bit turned (not smart) and when the doors opened she came around and punched me in the face and took off running. Apparently she punched some guy on the platform too, or so my friend told me. I was too stunned to notice.
I was in complete shock when it happened. It didn’t help that this is the most stressful school week ever- papers to write, presentations to give, finals to take. I was already feeling stressed and exhausted and this incident just threw me over the edge. It’s such a strange thing to be attacked like that…not to mention getting punched in the face hurts. It’s also humiliating. I kind of pride myself on having good street smarts- I can usually sense trouble and react accordingly. Perhaps it was that it was early and there were other people on the train or that I had the added comfort of being with a friend, but I was definitely taken off guard. I just keep replaying it in my head.
Due to the 5 psychology classes I’m taking at the moment, my thoughts walking home were centered on trying to figure out why someone would do that…what was wrong with her. The concept of Buddhist compassion floated through my head, but I just didn’t (or still don’t) quite know what to make of it. Since it happened, friends have shared thier stories- one told me how she was randomly punched in the stomach a couple of years ago in Union Square. Another recounted the time he was working as a restaurant manager and received a punch in the face for not seating someone in the garden.
What is wrong with people?! Living in New York, I think we just have more opportunities for these events to occur. We’re in constant contact with people…all kinds of people. So, in addition to considering a self-defense class (being that I’m going into the mental health field, it’s probably not a bad idea), I’m attempting to extend some compassion and lovingkindness. This was obviously a troubled girl who will inevitably run into problems down the line. This isn’t to say that I condone her behavior or that I”m not angry, but turning it into practice seems like the only constructive thing to do.