A Hard Day In The University
Today, I have gone to the university just to get the dean’s signature on a paper. Without this paper signed by the dean, I won’t be able to get the bus to the university for a small amount of money, it’s a kind of subscription to a public service, and there is a big discount for students. So you have to get the signature of the dean to prove that you are a student!!! Anyway, we used to suffer from that routine as sitizens of an under developping country! That’s not a problem. The problem is that when I reached the university, I gone to the student’s office but that guy that supposed to be there was not on his desk! He was out of his bureau talking with another man. I was waiting for him but he seemed to be not concerned, he didn’t even look to me! The tow men were both speaking and laughing together and the student’s line was getting longer and longer. I decided to talk to him, politely of cource, because here in Tunisia, even if you are asking for your right you must ask for him very very politely, else you will never get what you want or what you need!!! When I approached from that guy, and before I start to talk, he saw the paper in my hand and he said: WHAT!!! WHAT DO YOU WANT? WAIT FOR ME IN MY OFFICE!. I said: you have never been in you office, how can I……!
He interrupted me and he said: So, I won’t do your paper, I’m going to eat something with my friend, we haven’t met since a big time. Can you immagine that situation? and the worse was that I could do nothing. Even the director was not in his office. So I decided not to be nerveous and to wait. I know what kind of idea you could take on me, but believe me I had nothing to do.
Finally, after a wait of 4 hours, i got my paper signed! You know, I hate people like that guy. It’s because of that people that Tunisia is a member of these third-world countries. Poor Tunisia!
September 15th, 2005 at 10:24 am
Marzouki, thanks a lot for relating this story.
I don’t know why it’s so hard for some human beings (aren’t we ALL just human beings??) to realize that, societies and the world work much better when we all treat each other with some basic level of respect (and maybe even a basic level of kindness??!!).
When some people get into ‘positions of power,’ they really change and start to talk and act like they are somehow ‘better’ or ‘more important’ than others. It’s like they are saying, “I don’t have much respect for you, but I want you to have A LOT of respect for ME!”
Why is a part of human nature like this? Just when a person can have a more positive and better influence on others (and even on society), they instead use their position in a negative way (ie. by belittling others, by not showing respect to some people).
September 15th, 2005 at 9:40 pm
Hello Marzouki,
I have read your story with great interest because I’m working at the university in Japan. Though I’ve never been to Tunisia and I don’t know exactly how it is like in your country, I think people in Japan sometimes look down other people just because they have power or professional title which make them think “I’m more important than you are!” But when they look down people like that, other people would be sneering at him and think how stupid he is.
I think you will be a person in a high position someday. If you won’t forget that you were furious at impolite man when you were at the university, your future and your country might change in a better way….
I’m a woman and working at the university as a part-time worker. I sometimes feel that being woman in Japan means I belong to “minority group” in this society since I was born. People can’t choose where they were born as well as gender, right? But I personally believe our future can be changed much better if we try hard. Tunisia can be changed!!