"Respect Your Elders" - What Does That Mean?

What should be the most relaxing part of my day, actually turns out to be the most stressful - the bus ride to and from work!

Sometimes I'm lucky enough to get a window seat, in which case the rest of the journey is spent in idle bliss with my ipod on as I watch the world go by. If however the bus is already filling up and I have to get an aisle seat, well its an hour of stress!

You'd think I'd be grateful that I don't have to stand for the whole journey but oh no ... the intricacies of social etiquette sends my head into a spin.

You see, I've been brought up to Respect My Elders and when I see no one giving up their seats for the older passengers I start to get a little on edge. There are the dedicated seats for elderly or immobile people, yet no one moves or even offers a token gesture to move.

So who should move? Well firstly, those in the marked seats should - without a doubt! The quandary comes with who should move next - should the young people, or the older men? Both will argue they're paying the same fare. Should the men be chivalrous (well I think those days are gone) or should the young people respect their elders (I think those days may be gone too)!

The other day in my non-marked-special seat I offered an older lady my seat - and she politely declined, opting instead to stand for the next 40mins!?! Was she too surprised that someone would offer their seat, or did she really not want it? Maybe its insulting to offer your seat because it simply reminds people that they are getting older.

The end result - you can't win. I now wait for the emptier bus to make sure I get a window seat!