This morning I rode a crowded New York City bus to work. There were no seats available and many people had to stand up. Each of the front six seats on New York buses has a sign above it saying "Won't you please give this seat to the elderly or disabled?"
A young woman was sitting in one of the front seats with her large bag on the seat beside her. She was reading a book, making a point of not looking up when people entered the bus, most likely to avoid seeing their faces because then she would have had to notice their tired eyes, eager for seats.
It took more energy for that woman to avoid people's eyes than it would have taken to remove her bag from the seat, and she missed out on the possiblity of connecting with another human being.
On a painfully hot day last summer in New York, I noticed a dog tied by his leash to a sign in front of a deli. He was panting like crazy and had a look of desperation in his eyes. I got a large empty fast food container from a nearby Chinese restaurant, filled it with water, and offered it to the dog. He lapped it up right away. As I walked away, I glanced back at him a few times and he was watching me steadily with the most grateful expression in his eyes I've ever seen in any animal, including human beings.
I've known people who were deeply caring towards other people but not towards other animals, and I've know people who were incredibly compassionate towards animals but not towards people.
I think that all living creatures want and need the same basic things;
Love, food, love, shelter, love, safety,
Oh, and did I mention love?
No comments:
Post a Comment