Clouds of Circumstance

There are some days you witness sights that leave you feeling like the world is a mess – that humanity is a lost cause. You strain to find a glimmer of hope. You seek a silver lining among the stormy clouds.

I had one of those days recently.

***

Watch above the clouds of dark and storm
A mix of black and grey swirl overhead
Bearing a hateful heart both dark and dead
Before unleashing all its bitter scorn
Look as the thundercloud takes up its form
Rolling swiftly inbound with mighty dread
A trail of despair follows in its stead
Stripping the lands below of hope and warm
Harsh words uttered in a storm of rage
Stripping another of humanity
Cold insults spoken to another’s face
Words spoken with no intent to engage
Surrendering to base depravity
Is there hope for all of the human race

I wait on the platform for the train to arrive, heading home after another class of Taekwondo. The pages of a book command my attention as I stand under the heat lamps on the platform. The warm light counters the chill of the day. Lost in tales of kings and dragons, I wait.

But then I’m interrupted. Angry shouts draw me away from the world within the words. I look up.

A man stands smoking a cigarette. He’s older gentleman. A cane supports his walk, and a grey beard covers his face.

I’ll put it away in a minute, he says.

The other man, a father with two young girls, points to the sign indicating that smoking is not permitted on the platform.

I can read, the old man retorts.

The two argue back and forth. A woman steps in and tries to convince the man to put away his cigarette. She points at the sign. I suspect her efforts only strengthen the resolve of the old man.

If you ever wish to get someone to do something, don’t start by telling the they are wrong. Most of the time, the rebuke decreases their willingness to change. If you wound someone’s pride, they’ll stubbornly hold to what they have left. I recall the countless times I’ve held onto to an opinion or action, not because I was right, but because someone told me I was wrong.

As I watch the old man and the father argue, I wonder what would have happened had the conversation started by addressing the dignity of the old man – respecting him. What if the request had been in kindness and not rebuke?

The two men trade barbs.

Go back to where you came from, shouts the father.

Those words sting. I cannot tell if they affect the old man, but I suspect they do. They are hurtful and hateful words.

Words can tear someone down. Their cruelty can rip away dignity and value. But I cannot judge the father. How careful am I with my words? How often have I offered words that tear down rather then build up?

I ponder the incident on the way home. Could I have done anything? What? I wonder how I would have responded had I been in the shoes of the other men.

If I were the old man, would I put the cigarette away? Would I have listened to the scolding of the father? How would I feel?

And if I were the father, would I have offered the same rebuke? Would the desire to protect my children from the smoke overcome my spirit of kindness? Would I have had the strength of mind to simply move away? How would I feel?

It is tricky to judge another’s actions. Your understanding of them is always limited. You cannot be sure that you would act differently if in the same circumstances.

Circumstance shapes action more than you or I would probably prefer to admit. If we are placed in a position of power and control – when we are surely in the right – would we act out of that power? Would we use it to advance our righteousness – no matter how harshly? I will not speak for you, but I know I would struggle with that temptation.

I reflect with sadness. Why are people so cruel to each other? Is there any hope?

***

Above the clouds cast down upon the day
The canopy casts shadow on the ground
The dull sunlight refracting all around
The span of clouds darken the sky with gray
Upon the heart the sky begins to weigh
As though it speaks out with a mournful sound
As if no hope at all in it be found
And scarcely keeping the despair at bay
But through gloomy shadows pierces a ray
An act of human kindness given by
One stranger to another close nearby
Without an expectation to repay
A gift is giv’n as though from heaven high
A new hope to continue on the way

I exit the train at my stop. Walking down the stairs to the exit, I spy an older woman stuck in the turnstile. She had attempted to take her hand cart full of groceries with her through the narrow gap. The wheels strike against the metal bars, preventing the turnstile from turning.

As I near the bottom, another woman approaches, intending to swipe her card and catch a train. She could complain. She could call the other woman an idiot. But instead she helps.

She helps the other woman get back out of the turnstile, take the bags out of the cart, pass a few of them through the bars to me, and fold up the cart. She swipes her transit card, and both women make it through.

Reloading her cart, the older woman thanks us with a smile. We continue on our separate ways.

People can be cruel and heartless if in the right circumstances. They can tear down another and strip away their dignity. Beware of those circumstances.

But more importantly, people will be friendly if you let them. In the right situations, they’ll be helpful and kind. Foster and encourage those circumstances. Inspire generosity. Give people a chance to show the best of who they are.

I return home, my heart full of hope.

###

Storm or silver lining? I made this photo in Switzerland.