Will you help me if I fall?
The morning was cold and windy but sunny and beautiful. I was so distracted that on my way out of the train station in Helsinki, when my fingers started freezing, I realized I had forgotten my gloves in the train. No can do, the composition was too long and I would never remember in which wagon I was if I came back.
I crossed the street to take the tram and the sign showed I would have to wait for long 9 minutes. I was just cursing myself for having forgotten the gloves. My shallow thoughts were cut off by a noise and a scream. I looked at the other side of the street and there was a man: he fell from his wheelchair, his right leg had been amputated until the knee, his nose had a huge scab of a not so old wound, his things – including a crutch – fell all over the ground. He started to make an effort to go back to the wheelchair but it was old and broken, without any breaks. While he tried to sit the chair went backwards. He started laughing, I realized he was completely drunk.
I crossed the street immediately to help that poor miserable man while 10 meters away ( just next to him), probably around 50 people who were waiting for the tram were there just staring at the guy with their pity faces. No attitude. Nobody made even a slightly small move of consideration to help a disabled person who fell down to go back to his wheelchair.
I approached and asked if I could help him. He immediately thanked me and asked to hold the chair for him to go up. I did it. After he sat down I picked up his crutch from the ground and asked if I could help with something else. Showing me his cellphone with the screen totally damaged he said with a big laugh: "Could you help me buying a new phone?" I laughed back and we both moved away to our destinations.
And here´s my thought: Why the hell NOBODY else helped?
There was really a lot of people there: men, women, young, old, middle-aged. A lot of people who just didn´t give a damn to a poor "miserable drunk crippled" who fell from a wheel chair. How can it be possible?
He actually wasn´t. He was drunk and probably dropped the shelf while trying to hold it not to fall. He had a baguette sandwich which fell from his hands. He sat down and cried.
I helped him to get up, got the sandwich (it was wrapped in paper so he could still eat it), helped him to get up, took him to a sit, unwrapped the sandwich and gave it to him who looked at me deep in the eyes and said: "You are an angel, thank you." He actually asked if he could give me a hug, I said of course, he cried, I cried.
When the shelf fell and the guy was laying down on the ground, many people saw it, including the shop keeper. NOBODY helped.
Why is it so difficult to help people in need? Why is it so difficult to be kind? Why is it so difficult to be cordial?
To finish off I leave you with a little thought for reflection: do you believe in happiness without kindness? Do you really think your attitude towards the others won´t affect society in whole? When you think about all problems related to depression, alcoholism, suicide, don´t you think a little more kindness could make a difference?
Next Next post: November: dark and S.A.D.
Funny how I came across this text today, Maila. This afternoon we went shopping in a big shopping mall in Espoo. With the blink of an eye our 4 year old ran up the treadmill leading up to the upper floor. She slipped and fell with her arms stretched forward centimeters away from the end. She managed to stand up before having her fingers trapped. My heart skipped a beat. I could have not reached her on time. There were 2 adults standing right next to her on the treadmill. NOBODY I mean NOBODY made the movement of picking her up from the ground even her being in clear danger of losing her fingers. Sometimes I wonder what is the matter with Finns.
what a sensitive look at how selfish people can be. I believe it could be the best word to define the lack of empathy for those in need of help. You are an angel for sure and it's very important to take action and prevent such act of ignoring the problems when they happen right under our noses. Congratutations for another amazing text !
Your words made me really happy.
I got really touched by this situation, have been thinking about it non stop. Writing just helped me to digest everything a little bit.
Lovely words, Maila! Indees, sometimes is hard to understand somethings, like… be kind.
I understand it´s hard and this is why I think it is so important to talk about it. If we just keep silent, nothing changes and without changes, there is no evolution.