On my way home from work tonight there seemed to a a traffic jam at an intersection. There did not seem to be a reason for this but I saw as I got closer that there were people around a man who was on his knees close to the curb, head down.
Cars tooted in annoyance as a 1/2 ton truck stopped right beside the man blocking traffic further.
"Go around him" I called out to them (resisting the word "moron") as they were obviously anxious to get home no matter who was down.
I and another woman approached the man while the driver of the 1/2 ton asked me what he should do, "maybe call the ambulance", I said.
"You okay?" I said to the man as the other woman knelt close to him.
"Go away", he said "leave me alone."
"Sure, got that, but I am concerned about you as you would be concerned about me."
The man in the 1/2 ton got out of his truck, "I have the ambulance on the line but if he is ok then they won't come."
"You sure you're okay? I asked the man.
He looked up at me, young, heavy rings around his eyes, we had eye contact for awhile and then he said "yeah, I'm good."
Why this story? Because we are all under the illusion that when we see someone in this state, we assume that they are the downtrodden and we, in our illusory state of superiority, feel that we are better than them.
We're not.
Once, when I lived in Nova Scotia, I was walking through a wooded area and a young man, late teens, came out of the woods in front of me. He was disheveled and carried a big crowbar in his hand. He saw me and started moving my way, menacingly.
I looked around me. Any people? Nope. How about angels? None that I could see.
So I faced this man and said."what's going on with you? What's happening"?
He looked at me, stunned, and then slowly put the crowbar on the ground.
"No one gets me, no one understands me."
"Who's no one?"
"My family, my friends, they hate me."
"Why would they hate you? Talk to me."
And so he did, for a long time.
I told him that he is loved, and that he is never alone and whether he believes in God or not, God believes in him and that no one should tell him anything different. He nodded and then we parted company.
The world is riven by ego, our great destroyer. Men think they are superior to women, women think they are superior to men, nations feel that they are superior to others, the beautiful feel they are superior to the not beautiful, Republicans feel that they are superior to Democrats, and vice versa.
Those who are privileged in this life feel superior to those who are not.
But no one can wield the platitude of superiority over anyone else. We are all equal (minus ego) in our divinity and we are all loved, whether we choose to believe this or not. We are all learning the lessons we came into this life to learn.
And nothing is hidden, at all. We are all being watched. Whether we choose to believe this too.
Cars tooted in annoyance as a 1/2 ton truck stopped right beside the man blocking traffic further.
"Go around him" I called out to them (resisting the word "moron") as they were obviously anxious to get home no matter who was down.
I and another woman approached the man while the driver of the 1/2 ton asked me what he should do, "maybe call the ambulance", I said.
"You okay?" I said to the man as the other woman knelt close to him.
"Go away", he said "leave me alone."
"Sure, got that, but I am concerned about you as you would be concerned about me."
The man in the 1/2 ton got out of his truck, "I have the ambulance on the line but if he is ok then they won't come."
"You sure you're okay? I asked the man.
He looked up at me, young, heavy rings around his eyes, we had eye contact for awhile and then he said "yeah, I'm good."
Why this story? Because we are all under the illusion that when we see someone in this state, we assume that they are the downtrodden and we, in our illusory state of superiority, feel that we are better than them.
We're not.
Once, when I lived in Nova Scotia, I was walking through a wooded area and a young man, late teens, came out of the woods in front of me. He was disheveled and carried a big crowbar in his hand. He saw me and started moving my way, menacingly.
I looked around me. Any people? Nope. How about angels? None that I could see.
So I faced this man and said."what's going on with you? What's happening"?
He looked at me, stunned, and then slowly put the crowbar on the ground.
"No one gets me, no one understands me."
"Who's no one?"
"My family, my friends, they hate me."
"Why would they hate you? Talk to me."
And so he did, for a long time.
I told him that he is loved, and that he is never alone and whether he believes in God or not, God believes in him and that no one should tell him anything different. He nodded and then we parted company.
The world is riven by ego, our great destroyer. Men think they are superior to women, women think they are superior to men, nations feel that they are superior to others, the beautiful feel they are superior to the not beautiful, Republicans feel that they are superior to Democrats, and vice versa.
Those who are privileged in this life feel superior to those who are not.
But no one can wield the platitude of superiority over anyone else. We are all equal (minus ego) in our divinity and we are all loved, whether we choose to believe this or not. We are all learning the lessons we came into this life to learn.
And nothing is hidden, at all. We are all being watched. Whether we choose to believe this too.