This entire topic seems to show the separation between the older (in age) forum members who understand and are compassionate about the frailities of health and aging and the younger ones who compare problems with luggage to carrying school books to the school bus (OMG!)
I doubt that Ruth or anyone else would write what she did if they were young and healthy.
Maybe Ruth has been reading this, and as others have implied, is now too intimidated to add further details. I certainly wouldn't put myself out there for more of the same.
Interesting observation. I would add, though it really depends on the person. So people at first reading of her comments may feel bad for her. Then after reading again, may feel another way. I actually read it over several times before responding, trying to get more info out of it. I felt bad for her originally, but then after reading again, it didn't pass the smell test. There must be more that she did not include. Or something else. If there had been more detail, or more posts from her, I would be able to tell if it truly was a major thing for her or if she is normally one who complains. Again, not picking on her, but knowing that there are people out there that look for things to complain about, makes me wonder.
I for one am a little older, but have always been the 'little mother' even as a child. So I'm not sure if there is an age separation on this subject. But anything is possible.
Sunchaser,
I have to agree with Everydaymatters!
Most things in life are not absolute, but I do see more of a tendency for younger people to be less understanding or compassionate especially when they have yet to experience the effects of growing older and/or becoming disabled. At the same time we older people need to keep in mind that we may not have been any different when we were younger!
But this lacking is not exclusive to the young alone. There are still some older folks that still don't get it and quite possibly never will!
I've mostly tried to stay out of this thread as far as those discussions have gone, but I'll chime in here briefly.
I consider myself in the younger-member section, but I'm certainly aware of the issues of age, health, and disability. In college I had several friends with serious health issues or mobility issues, at least three of whom walked with canes and one who used a wheelchair most of the time--by their twenties. Another friend went from fully sighted to almost completely blind during the four years we were in college together. Perhaps my experiences are highly unusual in that regard. So I learned firsthand how to try to be accommodating--which means both how to help out
and how to respect the many things my friends can still do perfectly well on their own, appearances to the contrary. The first lesson to learn is that you need to be aware of everyone's situation; but the second, and almost the harder lesson, is that you shouldn't assume anything (such as, that someone always needs assistance), because that can be annoying or even insulting!
With regards to the original poster's situation, it means that I would be hesitant to immediately offer to carry her bags, unless it was evident she was having extreme difficulty with them. Since we have no idea how she comported herself in Birmingham, I really can't say how I would have handled the situation personally. It does sound like she may have been asking for assistance, though, and if that were the case I would have tried to help. But if she were being passive-aggressive about it--waiting to be asked if she needed help, rather than seeking it in any way--I might well have assumed she preferred not to be asked because she preferred her independence, and thus stayed away... and if she then later complained, I would feel upset with her behavior.
As it is, there are so many details we'll never know about what actually happened in this particular situation that I do not want to pass any sort of judgment on the actions of either the original poster or her fellow travelers. And given what has come to light about Amtrak's situation on that day, I find it hard to fault the ticket agent who was working in Birmingham. Perhaps he could have done differently, but if he were really working solo that day
and having to cope with a situation perhaps beyond anything he'd encountered in his time with Amtrak--perhaps even including dealing with complex and contradictory instructions from Amtrak's offices, the Crescent's conductor, and the rulebook--I can't fault him either. Maybe Amtrak should have had extra board available; maybe they normally do but on that particular day they couldn't bring a second person to Birmingham for some reason. Maybe the elevator worked, maybe it was broken. We'll never know.
The only absolutely crystal clear undeniable fault, in my opinion, lies with the architecture of the Birmingham station! Everything else in this situation is too unclear.