The real reason that we lower our eyes on the tube, avoiding eye contact as well as one can, is likely due to the scarring etched on our eyes from the evening before.
Sitting opposite and along the carriage probably sits a dishevelled middle-aged man, an impeccably styled younger man and a young jogging trouser clad woman furrowing with their index fingers or thumbs into that lump just beneath their eyes.
I'd previously thought the tendency to look elsewhere was due to the fear of being seen as a voyeur; or perhaps it was a fear of spotting the morning's terrorist. But no. This fear descends on those not wishing to messily waste a satisfying breakfast, and on those who wish to live in happy ignorance in regards to the cleanliness of the seat they are comfortably sitting on.
The public nose pickers come out in full voracity at night. Possibly they have felt a keen build-up of the city's pollution and are eager to rid themselves of the mild discomfort. Possibly they think that because there are fewer people on the train they are less likely to be seen, or may be seen by fewer people. Or it could be that quality that one finds endearing in children, but much less so in those over 10 years of age: if they can't see another person, that person will not see them.
A friend of mine once said to me in a very matter of fact way that everybody picks their nose "and I don't care what anybody says to deny it". I am inclined to agree. Even if it's not an all encompassing habit, I think it's fair to say that everybody indulges in being a little bit gross. But usually the 'indulgence' is carried out with discretion.
Consequently, one question begs to be answered: why not wait a further few minutes until the office or home has been reached in order to do the necessary in private? Perhaps even with a convenient tissue.
