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Saturday, June 28, 2008
How beautiful it would be, being uninhibited and brave, reaching out to others in a way no one else can. To be able to say what you want, do what you want, be able to uplift others easily and without doubt. Seeing the poor begging on the streets makes me want to do more than just help them, it makes me want to reach out to them, pull them up into a warm, embracing hug and say "Everything will be okay. And if it's not, you're still alive. You'll be okay." Seeing the blind man stumbling through the subway, cup in his hand jingling quietly, makes me want to stand up, pull him into the vacant seat beside me, wrap my arm around him and tell him "Rest, you've got a long day ahead of you." So many people are unwilling to do the littlest bit they can, myself included. My reasons are feeling shy, naive, embarrassed, the fear of being yelled at. Good reasons, but not good enough in the big picture. Yesterday, on the subway, I stood up with my sister and her friend because we would be getting off at the next stop. A woman sitting three seats down scooted to my seat on the very edge simply because even though she would have to sit next to someone, she wouldn't have to have another on her other side. It seems the corner seats are the most popular in Korea. Why can't people be willing to sit next to a stranger, reach out to them in that small way, just by being there? It offends me when people scoot away from me, as if I'm a parasite, and a parasite that smells, at that. I will do what little things I am brave enough to do just to make the mental and physical gap between strangers that much smaller. I will not scoot away from people on the subway, I will donate money to the poor and unfortunate, I will smile at strangers who look at me curiously, just so they all are aware that I am opening my arms to them, in a hidden but real way. Even if said strangers just think that I'm creepy and/or a pervert. |
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❝ The only excuse for making a useless thing
is that one enjoys it immensely;
All art is useless. ❞
