I hope.
Where were you on Sun. Oct. 21 at about 7:30 pm? If you are like most metro Detroiters, you were preparing to watch the Tigers in game 2 of the World Series! Maybe you were in a local bar with friends, in front of an enormous plate of nachos, or maybe you were in the comfort of your own home, in front of a large television with the sound of your children playing in their rooms in the background, or maybe you were fortunate enough to actually be at the game!
Well I was in front of the stadium with a number of other former Super Bowl volunteers passing out Detroit Pride buttons for the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau. It was cold and rainy but we were having a great time. It’s a great time in Detroit, right? Not necessarily. In the midst of all the revelry, I heard an angry voice; it was becoming louder and angrier. I located the source just in time to see a man, a young man, but old enough to know the difference from right and wrong, spit in the face of an old, obviously homeless man. It took me a minute to understand what I had just witnessed. The young man was swearing and I saw a mother pull her child a little closer to her and bewilderment on the faces of those watching. I found a policeman who handled the situation and people went on about their business of getting into the game. I have no idea what caused the confrontation, but the little old man seemed harmless. I assume he went on about his business of survival.
The entire event disturbed me, disturbs me still. We see people on the street every day as we walk back and forth downtown. Some are panhandling, others just wandering, and I wonder what were the circumstances that led to that person’s condition, and what are the circumstances that led each of us to United Way. Is it the human condition that allowed that man to feel justified in spitting in the face of another human being? I have to believe that it is the human condition that allows us to be compassionate and selfless; that the difference between our intellect and instinct drives our behavior and that the aggression we witness, all too frequently, can be addressed and eliminated through our understanding of each other; understanding what makes us different, but why we are so much alike. Understanding that the distance between those two men on that cold, rainy night isn’t as great as one might think. Hopefully, through the work we do here everyday, we are making inroads towards that kind of understanding. I hope.
Patricia A. McCann
Director, Volunteer Services
George W. Romney Volunteer Center
United Way for Southeastern Michigan
Well I was in front of the stadium with a number of other former Super Bowl volunteers passing out Detroit Pride buttons for the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau. It was cold and rainy but we were having a great time. It’s a great time in Detroit, right? Not necessarily. In the midst of all the revelry, I heard an angry voice; it was becoming louder and angrier. I located the source just in time to see a man, a young man, but old enough to know the difference from right and wrong, spit in the face of an old, obviously homeless man. It took me a minute to understand what I had just witnessed. The young man was swearing and I saw a mother pull her child a little closer to her and bewilderment on the faces of those watching. I found a policeman who handled the situation and people went on about their business of getting into the game. I have no idea what caused the confrontation, but the little old man seemed harmless. I assume he went on about his business of survival.
The entire event disturbed me, disturbs me still. We see people on the street every day as we walk back and forth downtown. Some are panhandling, others just wandering, and I wonder what were the circumstances that led to that person’s condition, and what are the circumstances that led each of us to United Way. Is it the human condition that allowed that man to feel justified in spitting in the face of another human being? I have to believe that it is the human condition that allows us to be compassionate and selfless; that the difference between our intellect and instinct drives our behavior and that the aggression we witness, all too frequently, can be addressed and eliminated through our understanding of each other; understanding what makes us different, but why we are so much alike. Understanding that the distance between those two men on that cold, rainy night isn’t as great as one might think. Hopefully, through the work we do here everyday, we are making inroads towards that kind of understanding. I hope.
Patricia A. McCann
Director, Volunteer Services
George W. Romney Volunteer Center
United Way for Southeastern Michigan
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