Hey Lifers...
So today I had another opportunity to do some traveling. Now usually on these adventures I travel by myself. But this time I was meeting a lady and we pre-arranged to meet early this morning.
Which got me to thinking. Am I really my brothers keeper?
I mean, do we as a society, as a normal people, have an obligation to take care of one another, no matter how small the task?
Now I know that in the bible it says that yes we are. But the good book tells us lots of things, but how often do we listen?
So back to today. Once I reached my destination this morning I called the lady that I was meeting. Now keep in mind that I was in an unfamiliar town, and it was pouring rain. It was dark and I was literlly standing outside on a downtown street corner with my hands full of junk in preparation for our day. No hooker jokes please.
I asked her if she was at the event. To my surprise she said she was about ten minutes away. Now that really wasn't the big deal. The deal was the way she answered the phone. The way she spoke. The tone she used. I could tell she was frustrated. Angry. She mentioned how the rain had slowed he down this morning and yada, yada, yada.
I politely told her that I was on the street corner about two blocks away, and would go ahead and go into the event, did I mention I was carrying a bunch of crap? Anyway, I told her to give me a ring when she got in.
About thirty minutes later she calls and says ok I'm here. Where do I go, what should I do now? Again it wasn't so much the questions she asked, but rather the way she asked them. As if it was my responsibility for getting her where she needed to be. My responsibility to tell her, her every step.
We talked for a while and I helped her get to where she needed to be, all the while lugging these heavy things through the event. I had to walk up a flight of stairs, then down a flight after I figured out I was on the right floor to begin with. I even lugged these thing around inside when I went to meet her so she wouldn't get lost once inside.
A little later we headed to breakfast. As we get to the dining hall we were asked to show our credentials. Her response. I'm just following him.
In the beginning I was slightly perturbed that here was this grown woman whom I'd never met was just following me. Again like it was my responsibility to take care of her? Look lady I've got three clowns at the house that I take care of. I don' t have time nor the desire to look after you.
Then I got to thinking. Am I my brothers keeper?
I've always said that we are all alike. Probably more than we really like to admit. So maybe she overslept this morning and didn't get her coffee. Maybe driving in the rain made her nervous and upset. Maybe the night before she got a disturbing phone call and she hadn't really come to terms with it yet. Maybe she has financial issues her and her husband are dealing with. Maybe she just wasn't comfortable meeting new people, and wasn't comfortable in her own skin. Whatever it was I realized, there at breakfast, that in a way, in this way today, I was my brother's keeper.
So for the rest of the day I did my part to help her out and make her feel comfortable, in hopes that the next time we meet she'll be friendly and at ease.
Unless of course she's just a bitch. In which case I wasted my day.
J-Tony
So today I had another opportunity to do some traveling. Now usually on these adventures I travel by myself. But this time I was meeting a lady and we pre-arranged to meet early this morning.
Which got me to thinking. Am I really my brothers keeper?
I mean, do we as a society, as a normal people, have an obligation to take care of one another, no matter how small the task?
Now I know that in the bible it says that yes we are. But the good book tells us lots of things, but how often do we listen?
So back to today. Once I reached my destination this morning I called the lady that I was meeting. Now keep in mind that I was in an unfamiliar town, and it was pouring rain. It was dark and I was literlly standing outside on a downtown street corner with my hands full of junk in preparation for our day. No hooker jokes please.
I asked her if she was at the event. To my surprise she said she was about ten minutes away. Now that really wasn't the big deal. The deal was the way she answered the phone. The way she spoke. The tone she used. I could tell she was frustrated. Angry. She mentioned how the rain had slowed he down this morning and yada, yada, yada.
I politely told her that I was on the street corner about two blocks away, and would go ahead and go into the event, did I mention I was carrying a bunch of crap? Anyway, I told her to give me a ring when she got in.
About thirty minutes later she calls and says ok I'm here. Where do I go, what should I do now? Again it wasn't so much the questions she asked, but rather the way she asked them. As if it was my responsibility for getting her where she needed to be. My responsibility to tell her, her every step.
We talked for a while and I helped her get to where she needed to be, all the while lugging these heavy things through the event. I had to walk up a flight of stairs, then down a flight after I figured out I was on the right floor to begin with. I even lugged these thing around inside when I went to meet her so she wouldn't get lost once inside.
A little later we headed to breakfast. As we get to the dining hall we were asked to show our credentials. Her response. I'm just following him.
In the beginning I was slightly perturbed that here was this grown woman whom I'd never met was just following me. Again like it was my responsibility to take care of her? Look lady I've got three clowns at the house that I take care of. I don' t have time nor the desire to look after you.
Then I got to thinking. Am I my brothers keeper?
I've always said that we are all alike. Probably more than we really like to admit. So maybe she overslept this morning and didn't get her coffee. Maybe driving in the rain made her nervous and upset. Maybe the night before she got a disturbing phone call and she hadn't really come to terms with it yet. Maybe she has financial issues her and her husband are dealing with. Maybe she just wasn't comfortable meeting new people, and wasn't comfortable in her own skin. Whatever it was I realized, there at breakfast, that in a way, in this way today, I was my brother's keeper.
So for the rest of the day I did my part to help her out and make her feel comfortable, in hopes that the next time we meet she'll be friendly and at ease.
Unless of course she's just a bitch. In which case I wasted my day.
J-Tony
I don't believe we are OBLIGATED to help anyone. But I do believe that as part of my upbringing, there are times I think I should help. It depends on the situation and the person. You did right, but I wouldn't have...unless she was a very important part of the meeting and decision making process...then I would have sucked up to her big time.
ReplyDeleteI'm not gunna lie. At the beginning of this post I definitely had hooker thoughts running through my head! hahaha!
ReplyDeleteI hope it was just a bad day but that still doesn't mean she should be all pissy to someone she's never met before. I don't know if she's a bitch or not but I think "rude" would fit nicely.
I had a few on liners for "standing on the corner with junk in my hand". It was humbling of you to give her the benefit of the doubt. Im pretty sure I would've started out giving her that and quickly revoked it as her attitude, dependence nor expectancy seemed to improve. You're a good man.
ReplyDelete