Jerk versus Angel
REALLY?
Sometimes things happen that leave me scratching my head and feeling deeply disappointed in humanity. Other times I am pleasantly surprised by our ability to reach out and be tremendously generous.
Because I work closely with the public I have plenty of opportunity to observe humans in action. One busy day a Mom sent her 5-year-old daughter to save a table not far from where Mom was finishing up her business, so they could then have lunch. I watched as the young girl obediently went over and sat at the only available table. Soon an elderly woman joined the little girl. This woman was obviously not related to the girl and sat with her back to the girl on the opposite side of the table. Before Mom could join her daughter, the elderly woman’s family came, took over the table and told the 5-year-old girl to go away.
As Mom joined her daughter a table behind the girl opened up. Mom chose not to say anything to the rude family and simply enjoy lunch with her daughter. On the opposite end of the scale one of my colleagues experienced the beauty of being human.
A woman and her adult daughter attempted to pay for their items when the card wouldn’t work. They tried a different card, and it too wouldn’t work. They went to a cash machine and found to their horror and great anxiety that their bank account didn’t have enough funds. Meanwhile a man third in line witnessed the whole thing, took great compassion on the women and paid for their entire purchase, which was over $100, then quietly left.
I hope that this is what we are made up of mostly and that the other story is only a small fraction of what makes us human. I choose to focus on the story of the man because I know what I focus on expands, and at the very least warms my heart so I can sleep at night.
Categories: Behavior, Good vs Bad, Humanity