Chapter 14 : When Common Sense Is Not Common

I am leading a hostel life from my 11th std; it’s my 7th year in a hostel.

I met very few good souls and lots and many and many people who have a human shape but blood and brain like a snake 🐍.

Here, I am sharing one of my experiences of living with weird people, from my multiple experiences.

One thing I hate in hostel living is someone pushing my clothes like trash, making wrinkles, and making space for their clothes to dry.

Because of this, once I had issues with my roommate. I don’t want to reveal her real name; let me name her “Triggera.” It’s because she trashed my washed clothes like waste clothes even though there was a lot of other space to put her clothes, and she didn’t even inform me.

Months went by, and it was a 3-sharing room. Both of my roommates used my plate, cooking vessels, and tiffin box and left them without washing for weeks. The plate and vessels that I use for my daily food started stinking badly and were affected by fungus, bacteria, virus, and all.

It irritated me a lot, but still I used to tell them in a polite way to clean things. This became an ego clash, and my other roommate; I’ll name her “Egoa.”

She used to put the fan off while I sleep and turn the lights off while I study, and she makes noise like a broken speaker while I study for exams. I never reacted to these things.

I just politely reported it to the owner and shifted my room.

The red color rope to dry clothes was actually tied by myself when there was a shortage of space to dry clothes.

Yesterday, before I put my clothes there from the washing machine, someone had already put their wet clothes there.

Other places were occupied. It was there for more than 5 days, so I just moved those dried clothes one above the other in a very neat way to make space for my wet clothes. I didn’t just push her clothes like trash or make them wrinkle; I arranged them very neatly.

Today afternoon, Triggera asked me with a very angry face why I moved her clothes. I said I moved them very neatly and didn’t wrinkle any clothes. She asked why I didn’t inform her. I said they were not in the room, and I never knew it was her clothes. It’s not my duty to find out, because it was there for more than 5 days.

She just went away, and I heard her complaining to someone on the mobile phone.

I feel very weird, because I didn’t trash her clothes like she did mine before.

Is there any mistake in my action?

I am trying to be polite as much as possible.

I don’t know why my inmates treat me this way. I didn’t harm them in any way. I am just reporting things that are affecting me and making my living here difficult. I am telling everything in a very polite and respectful way as much as possible. I didn’t target anyone in particular. Even if I ask them personally to clean something, they are treating me like an enemy.

I feel these things are all common sense. Even parents don’t need to teach this—every normal human being knows these common manners. I wonder how these kinds of humans exist and about the mechanical system of their brain.

I am not writing this to play the victim or to gain sympathy. I am writing this because living with people teaches you more about humanity than books ever can. Hostel life doesn’t just test patience; it tests values, boundaries, and basic respect.

Maybe being polite in a world full of careless people feels like weakness. But I still choose politeness, because I know who I am. If that makes me “weird” in their eyes, I am okay with that. I would rather be weird with conscience than normal without it.