It’s 2 a.m. or thereabouts. Three drunk young men get on the bus. They’re joyful, noisy and don’t want to go to bed – life is too early yet. So, between two glass partitions in one of the entrances, they start a fight.
It’s not disorganized violence, but a proper contest with some (even if very few) rules and a referee. Amid silly jokes, child-like swearing and a sprinkling of rudish peronal comments, many of the few rules get breached, but it’s all friendly, even if in a painful way. The fight is duly suspended at every stop to let the passengers in and out. It goes on for a good while, the two joined bodies banging against one or the other piece of glass. All in all, it’s a rather entertaining distraction on what could otherwise be an extremely boring journey. The boys’ urge to show that they’re still alive - unlike most of the other passengers, it seems - and kicking is palpable and contagious – I feel like joining in (but stop myself at the last moment).
This is, dizzily, joy of life in actu. It’s more or less pure and disinterested - they're too drunk to be able to aim at anything practical or naughty. All energy that is left in them is to simply make some optimistic and noisy action.
And from this higher plane, where they’ve climbed on alcohol; through this silly ruckus; to the sound of their yells, moans and laughter - are they not showing the ultimate appreciation of life: the joy of life for the joy of life’s sake? If so, are they not paying a most straightforward complement to life's giver?
Young drunk men – I salute you!
P.S. Just before the end of Round 5, a police car pulls up in front of the bus and when the doors open, the cops take over the role of the referee and nick the three guys – or, to be precise, only two at first. The one who was shortly to win on points makes a run for it.One of the policemen goes after him. The bus drives off and we have another sporting attraction – the guys run alongside the bus for a minute or two, till the cop catches up with the valiant fighter.
