What do you think of the dirty and homeless people you see on the streets? Do you keep a distance when you see them? What opinions do you have of them? Consider that some of them are mentally retarded or 'insane'. Do you think they could ever recover from their situation and become like normal people? Consider this:
Yesterday at night I was sitting in a bus heading home from work. At a stop before where I alight, a person boards the bus. I'm still not sure whether the person was a man or female; but let's assume she was a woman. She was dirty and smelly. She lingered for some seconds near me and she smelt of human excreta. She brushed herself on my arms so that even my shirt smelt the same. She stood next to my seat facing the front of the bus with her left arm on the seat opposite mine. I think she was afraid of sitting on the clean seats that apparently the 'clean and sane' passengers seat on. I saw fear in her eyes. Her lips were dry and cracked and between the lower & upper lips was some green stuff that looked like dried herbs which I suspect she had been chewing. Maybe it was miraa (khat).
The driver angrily called out to the conductor sitting next to the door demanding that she throws out the woman. She, the conductor, stood and shouted at the woman to alight but she didn't move. A man standing at the door, but not a conductor, walked over to her and pulled her forward. as she got to the door. He hit her so hard on the back shouting at her to alight. The other passengers exclaimed, but that was it. She stood outside looking at them, perhaps hoping to be told to get back in. But everyone knew that wouldn't happen.
Although I felt sorrow for her, there wasn't a thing I could do. Yes, she was dirty and smelly, but she's also a human being. Maybe she was no-longer insane.Maybe she had remembered who she was and wanted to go back to her home. But then again, if that was the case, and she happened to live far, she'd have trouble getting there because I don't think any public transport vehicle who'd let her in. She probably didn't have any money with her.
Imagine how she left. She must have felt pity for herself. She must have felt hopeless. Such a pity.
But why do we humans do this sort of thing? Is it because of the fear of being robed?
Would it be wrong to show some little kindness? Would it not have been good to let the poor woman get to her destination, even if just standing, but tell the passengers to be careful with their bags?
Or I'm I being unrealistic?
Yesterday at night I was sitting in a bus heading home from work. At a stop before where I alight, a person boards the bus. I'm still not sure whether the person was a man or female; but let's assume she was a woman. She was dirty and smelly. She lingered for some seconds near me and she smelt of human excreta. She brushed herself on my arms so that even my shirt smelt the same. She stood next to my seat facing the front of the bus with her left arm on the seat opposite mine. I think she was afraid of sitting on the clean seats that apparently the 'clean and sane' passengers seat on. I saw fear in her eyes. Her lips were dry and cracked and between the lower & upper lips was some green stuff that looked like dried herbs which I suspect she had been chewing. Maybe it was miraa (khat).
The driver angrily called out to the conductor sitting next to the door demanding that she throws out the woman. She, the conductor, stood and shouted at the woman to alight but she didn't move. A man standing at the door, but not a conductor, walked over to her and pulled her forward. as she got to the door. He hit her so hard on the back shouting at her to alight. The other passengers exclaimed, but that was it. She stood outside looking at them, perhaps hoping to be told to get back in. But everyone knew that wouldn't happen.
Although I felt sorrow for her, there wasn't a thing I could do. Yes, she was dirty and smelly, but she's also a human being. Maybe she was no-longer insane.Maybe she had remembered who she was and wanted to go back to her home. But then again, if that was the case, and she happened to live far, she'd have trouble getting there because I don't think any public transport vehicle who'd let her in. She probably didn't have any money with her.
Imagine how she left. She must have felt pity for herself. She must have felt hopeless. Such a pity.
But why do we humans do this sort of thing? Is it because of the fear of being robed?
Would it be wrong to show some little kindness? Would it not have been good to let the poor woman get to her destination, even if just standing, but tell the passengers to be careful with their bags?
Or I'm I being unrealistic?
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