Virtual Fun, Real Decay
It took me three stations, after I stepped into this metro, to react. There was a man lying on the floor, apparently sleeping. A tramp. In the middle of a wagon. At 10:30pm in Paris, France.
We live in a time of marvel. Just an hour before, I was showing off with my new iPhone to my friends. There are so many things you can do with this thing, they said. Look at how you can control it with your finger, they said. I wish I had one of my own, they said.
Just one hour after that, I stepped into a metro wagon in the Republique station. There was a man lying on the floor. And you know, this is kind of usual. Maybe that’s the worst part of it. People are used to seeing tramps lying on the floor, especially at night. It’s just normal.
For three stations, I kept saying to myself: You’ve got to do something. There is a man on the floor. We were about thirty in that wagon, and everybody seemed to ignore the man on the floor. Sure he looked filthy, and probably drunk, even if his face couldn’t be seen. But who else would lie on a wagon floor, apart from a drunk tramp? And the people in the wagon were thinking, out loud: Can’t this man go sleep somewhere else? This is the metro, for God’s sake.
After three stations, I stood up and went to the man. I woke him up, talked to him, helped him out of the wagon. The guy had been beaten up and stolen. He had a broken arm and three broken ribs. Sure he was a tramp, I could tell that he hadn’t had a shower in weeks. He couldn’t say three words in a row. Was he asleep, drunk or mentally disordered? That doesn’t make any difference. The guy was in desperate need for help.
You know what? I’m mad at all the people who entered the wagon before me. I’m mad at me, because it took me so long to react. I’m mad at all the people who stepped into the wagon after me and didn’t react.
We live in a time of marvel. Except that I would give all the mobile Internet revolution to see this man among his family, not in danger, in good health, with a job and someone to look after him. I would give the entire symfony project for this man’s broken arm.
Not that it’s news. Just a sting to remember.
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Respect, man!
A good call, a reminder that there’s more to life than all the fabulous toys and gadgets we use every day. Thank you for bringing us back down to earth there.
You’re a good person for doing what you did. I just wish there were more people like you in the world.
I remember (quite a few years ago now) a drunk harassing and shouting racists remarks at Chinese family in Leeds - In the main shopping district, full of people! Everyone walked on, trying to ignore it. It made my blood boil. I confronted the man and he backed off immediately.
No one wants to be the first to do anything, out of fear, or complete apathy. It’s a sad reflection of our times…
You’re a good man. Don’t ever think less.
welcome to Babylon’s sadness…
people are bound in their little illusion of happiness, so insignificant it can be… they would not risk anything, not even giving a look to someone, afraid to loose a part of it…
still hard for me since i got to Paris to see so much life level contrast, seeing so much people sleeping in the street or asking for money when i come back home…
not sure humankind do really know what we’re going into
Absolutely spot on, Francois: we have the same two problems in the UK. The first, obviously, is homelessness, but the remarkable second is that the privileged masses often will step over the homeless person. It is usually the case in Britain that, whilst the callous few will treat the poorest with disdain, most are just too embarrassed to provide assistance. Well done you for doing otherwise.
It is situations like these that remind me that the privileged, the elite, the wealthy and the middle classes should vote, campaign and lobby as if they were destitute or disadvantaged themselves. Just think of the remarkable changes we might see then!