On a cold day last week, I decided to take my camera on an inner-city bus to see if i could get any pictures of poverty stricken bus riders. There were pregnant teenagers, drunk parents passed out with children in thier laps and children with no shoes climbing around on the seats. We stopped under a bridge when this man (pictured) got the bus driver's attention. He was sitting down, yelling and stomping his feet on the concrete, saying "I AM BLIND! I AM ALMOST DEAF! HELP ME PLEASE!" over and over. The bus driver asked us all if we had any food or spare change for him. A few people passed up some coins and a little boy gave the bus driver a sandwitch for the man. The driver got out as we all watched from the foggy bus windows. He tapped the man on the shoulder and he stopped yelling. We watched as the driver handed the man the coins and sandwitch. The man smiled and shook hands with the driver. I couldn't tell what he said, but the driver laughed and got back on the bus. I was sitting up towards the front of the bus, and I asked the driver why he had taken pity on that paticular man out of all the homeless people downtown. "He deserves it," he said simply. He then further explained to me that makes it his goal to help someone like him that he passes on his route everyday. I couldn't understand why an inner city bus diver (who couldn't have been well off financially himself) would help one of the fewer people even more needy than himself. "This life is about doing good for others,' He told me, "And if you don't help out people like that guy, you aren't really living." Needless to say, I learned my life lesson from a driver on an inner-city bus that day, and I wanted to write this story to show that there are genuinely good people in this world... all you have to do is find them.
1 response
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Michelle Tims gave props (2 Dec 2009):
very nice shot and thanks for explaining it too, very moving
