Driving in city traffic is stop and go and stop and go. We, well I and the other anonymous drivers who drive to our collective destination’s in our rather ordinary Fords, Buicks and Dodges ignore each other, pretend none of us exist; invisible and clueless.
The stop lights we all approach have men and women of different stripes and behaviors shuffling about, running to a bus stop to catch their ride, wondering about, looking hopelessly lost in their own world. They ignore the world around or talk to each other or talk to themselves.
An old man stands at the corner, scratching himself, not aware or maybe doesn’t care that he is doing this in public for all of us to witness, though I honestly doubt anyone pays him any attention. Next to him is a woman who has no teeth and looks ancient too, though she appears younger than the elderly man standing next to her. I see their lips move but don’t know what they are saying.
The light changes and we continue to the next stop light where we all stop and see a pair of panhandlers earning their daily bread. Of course: “But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” They hold their cardboard handwritten signs begging for whatever we can afford to give in black permanent markers.
I look at the two with disdain but also realize that other Bible verse: Judge not, that ye be not judged. Matthew 7:1. I realized that this wasn’t their idea to earn money this way. They live day by day on what is meted out to them. And aren’t we all in one way or another panhandlers?
We have jobs that we work at, and we are expected to follow the policies and procedures and work hard for the money we earn that is meted out each day. If we don’t abide by those rules set forth by someone higher up than us, we have to pay the consequences for not following the rules. And some end up like these two.
The light changes and we continue to the next light. School children dressed in casual pants and dresses wait for their turn to cross the street. Their teacher wears a dress, brown woolen sexless thing that appears appropriate for a schoolteacher. She appears middle-aged, maybe thirty or forty with professionally styled hair and no makeup. She holds hands with two young girls, who look up at her and seem to be asking a question, but it’s time to go and she walks with a purpose across the street on the crosswalk followed by her students.
I wonder how many of those children will grow up to become successful cogs in the machinery of our collective socio-economic society. How many will become that old couple living on Social Security, if there is any such thing in the future, or become those panhandlers begging for quarters nickels and dimes to buy food or beer or fortified wine? Will they fight and scrape to get to the top, caring nothing about their fellow man? Will they become writers or poets or artists pursuing a passion that only they can express? Will one or two become a politician that helps others or become so tainted by the pursuit of power that they don’t see the poor or dispossessed? Will one live past eighteen, or twenty or thirty? Will any of those children have children or grandchildren of their own? Will they pursue a life of crime, become victims or villains? Will one become a murderer or rapist?
The light changed and I heard about a band coming to town calling themselves Observations While Sitting at Traffic Signals, and I thought what a wonderful idea for a blog post!
Jerry Schellhammer 