a story?

I was hungry. I had thrown my bus money in my pocket in the morning, but forgotten my purse at home. I guess it knew what kind of day I was going to have and didn't want to participate. It was only after I got off the bus that I realized I had no money, no phone, and no food. What was I to do? I sat down on a concrete bench and mulled over my predicament. I felt like I had rocks jostling in my stomach, and my tongue was thick with thirst. Maybe...maybe...if I asked someone for some money, they would take pity on me. So I asked. Unfortunately, I had put on my grungy clothes today. I asked a proffesor-ly looking woman for a couple bucks. Her eyes flickered over me, but she didn't miss a step in her hurry to get to a more important person than me. I asked a university student. He turned out his pockets halfway, shook his head and shrugged in apology. A little later on, I saw him come out of Macs with a slurpee in hand. With my sense of humanity slowly dying inside me, I asked an old woman, a teenager, and another university student, all to no avail. They either gave me a querying look and kept walking, or just turned the other way. By now I was running on an empty tank. Physically. Emotionally. Spiritually. Can people really be that calloused toward another human being? Are our lives really that important that we can't stop to give a hungry person 2 bucks for a sandwich or a bus ride home? Finally, in the midst of the endless mess of people walking by me without a glance, I spotted an elderly man with a walker. He looked like he might at least be walking slow enough that he couldn't politely ignore me if I asked him for a couple bucks. I asked. He shuffled my way. He stopped and looked at me in the eyes, and introduced himself as Albert. He shook my hand and offered to take me to Subway.

My humanity was restored by the touch of a wrinkled hand and a kind gesture from someone who probably received less kindness and patience on a regular basis than me.

So tell me, why is it that we feel justified in walking right by people who ask for help? Why is it that it took a little old man on welfare to buy me a simple lunch?