Today my husband, brother in law and I went to a craft beer and food truck festival. It was a gorgeous day, hot in fact. We had a great time downtown off, the waterfront sampling beers and eating really yummy food out of local food trucks. Bands played 80’s music we all sang all too (and besides my husband, who knew Blister in the Sun was a remake from the 80’s) Beach balls where kicked and tossed around in jubilation. A great day was had by all. My husband and I parted ways as he went to a friend’s house for the rest of the evening. My brother in law was headed to see friends. I was headed home to see my kids and thank my Mom and Aunt for watching my kids all day while I enjoyed myself.
I got to Metro Center and there was a wait of 20 minutes. Due to all the alcohol I had consumed I not only had to go to the bathroom, I was also hungry. So the wonderful Metro employee let me out without having to pay as I explained my plight that I needed a bathroom and maybe some food. I intoned to walk to a bar that three years ago I know was there, but apparently not anymore. I wound up a half of block outside of Chinatown so I decided to go to a bar that I knew for a fact was still in business and I could get a glass of water, another beer and an appetizer of some sort. I had all of the above paid, my tab and saw a Starbucks. Knowing I have two children who dislike sleep, I got myself an iced coffee. I was cut in line by several young kids, but through my Zen state of all the previous beer I had consumed, I did not let it bother me. I grabbed my iced coffee and hit the road. I then walked into Chinatown Metro Station, for those of you that are familiar with this area this is an EXTREMELY busy station as it as a hub between various lines. As I came off the escalator near the farecard machines I saw man in Nationals gear writhing on the floor trying to reach his hat. I literally watched people step over this man. I have encountered drunks, drug addicts and various other kinds on the metro but you could tell he was different. I stopped and asked the man if he was ok and he said, no, I need help. I grabbed his hat and offered my hand to the man to help him up. He then got up and started limping, clearly he was disabled. I then yelled, CAN SOMEONE HELP THIS MAN. Then a Metro employee came over. I asked the man if he needed more help, you can tell he was very humbled and embarrassed by the situation and he thanked me and said no. At this point the Metro employee that came over in my during my freak out, walked with him, I watched them help him up the escalator. I walked away.
After I walked away I felt very bothered by the situation at hand. I watched people WALK over this man on the floor of a subway system. They were going about their day as if that was a normal situation. Ok, coming from a person that takes mass transit daily, I do not typically see people on the floor and if I do natural instinct tells me that is not NORMAL. I cannot fathom why people just acted as if this man did not even exist, like he was a ghost and we can just step over him. How I am I, the blind girl the one that doesn’t drive, notice the man on the floor squirming and trying to get to his baseball cap? How does know one else see this? How do metro employees that have cameras all throughout the system not think that this is wrong? Apparently there is something wrong with me that I think that this is abnormal and others think this is perfectly acceptable.
The reason for this post is to not pat myself on the back. It is not to say what an awesome person I am for helping this person. Simply, it is to bring up the fact of human decency. How long would that man be laying on the floor before someone thought, hey that’s not right. How many others would have walked over that man before actually offering their hand to help him up? And even if you thought the man was a drunk or drug addict, why would you not offer to help him, even if in the simplest way was to help him off the floor of the metro, it is not like he was asking for a sponsor, just to be helped off the floor.
Situations like this make me scared for the world my children live in. What went from such a fun filled, carefree day made me shake my head towards mankind. I hope that the man got where he needed to go. I am upset with myself for not seeing him father. But I was so taken aback by the situation at hand that I didn’t even think to make sure he got where he intended to go. There have been many times over the past years I have questioned life and why certain things have transpired and asked WHY? Today I realized just how simple life really is
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