There are times when we just don't think about how other people live, we just think of ourselves, and our problems. Sometimes magnifying those problems in our minds, and thinking we are in such a horrible situation, and poor us. But there are moments, as you interact with other people, or when you are just walking, riding, or driving -- going from here to there, where an image hits your senses and suddenly your problems seem small and irrelevant.
Such a moment happened to me, as I was walking home, from food shopping at the supermarket. Across the street , walking in the opposite direction, was this very frail-looking and, very skinny older man. He was well dressed, and what struck me was the sign he was carrying, which read: I'm Hungry -- Please Donate Some Food. It shocked me. Here I was complaining to myself about the ridiculously high prices of the stuff I had just bough, and here was a man who would be happy with even one of the items.
What struck me was this was not your usual disheveled, or grungy looking beggar, this was a man who looked dignified and well dressed, and had been brought so low, that he had to swallow his dignity and beg for food. I crossed the street and asked what he needed, he told me if I could give him some bread and milk. I gave him what I had, and told him about a food pantry that I knew of, that would give him food, no questions asked.
I had to look away, so as not to embarrass him, then went on my way. The thought that kept running through my mind: what had happened not only to this poor man, but to us as a community. What had happened to the so-called safety net that was supposed to be in place, so that a person would not have to beg in the street if they were hungry, when times got tough? As I kept walking home, I just wandered what had happened to us, have we really become that selfish, that much focused on only ourselves, that we forget our fellow human beings? I just wonder.
