Are You Really Being Nice?

Tonight, as I was settling into my seat on the train, the girl beside me standing by the doors started to wave to someone running to catch the train. She quickly tried to put her arm in between the closing doors but pulled it out just before they clamped her appendage between them. She gave the guy outside a look of "Ohh well, I tried but didn't want to sacrifice my arm for you to catch the train. She smiled and turned around.

Just at that same moment, a woman who had been watching as intently as I had been made a comment to the girl. "So you were going to hold the door so that random guy could catch the train and make us all late?" she asked harshly. "Yes," she responded. "I was just trying to be nice." The older woman bitterly said "Well how about trying to be nice to the other 1,000 people on the train and don't hold us up."

Was the mean old lady right?!? Is it nicer to hold the door for one random stranger to catch the train or is it nicer to just ignore them running towards it and not hold the door for them, keeping everyone else on time? Who knows, there could be someone on the train waiting to meet a sick loved one or a person rushing to meet their wife in labor. The guy running for the train could also be the guy who is rushing to cure cancer or something. He could also be your future husband. So which is nicer? The moral of the story is to stand in the middle of the train so that you don't have to debate whether to hold the door or not.