Cruelty

One of my high school classmates, a hard-working forester, now retired, posted the following on Facebook today: 

Here’s one of the many things wrong in today’s society! So on my way uptown today I saw a guy sitting on a bridge holding a cardboard sign and the only word I could make out was Help as there was traffic behind me. So on the way home there was no one behind me so I stopped. He wanted help buying food and may God bless me. First of all he’s sitting not standing. So I said you know god helps those that help themselves so did you ever think of getting a job! So he says I’ve tried but I can’t find one! So I fired back BULLSHIT! There’s jobs every where if someone wants to work! I won’t repeat what I said as I drove away!

 Then, a host of his friends chimed in, beating up on this man who's out in 90 degree heat on a Saturday morning asking for help. For the next hour I mulled responses, from looking up quotations about compassion and the poor from their Christian Bible to giving a small lesson on systemic poverty. Right now, the only thing I've done is write this lame blog post as my heart rate and sadness build.