We wait our turn
Tom was visiting his cousin Colin in London, England. It was Saturday.
The boys were on their way to the Tower of London to see the royal
jewels.
At the bus stop, Colin got in line behind the other people. Tom thought
this rather strange. In New York City, he was used to people standing
around any which way until the bus came. Then they would shove and push
to get on.
“Is there a law here that says people must stand in line to wait for a
bus?” Tom asked.
“Of course not,” replied Colin. “But to tell the truth, I never thought
about it before. We always stand in line. It’s called \’queuing up.’
It’s a custom.”
When people behave in a certain way for a long time, this way of doing
things often becomes a custom. Customs are not the same everywhere. In
some places a custom can be as important as a law. People may even be
punished for disobeying a custom.
Queuing up is not an important custom. But English people do it because
it makes life easier for everyone.
