Because of new paving going down, I was glad to be stuck at the intersection through several light cycles. Glad because I witnessed something remarkable, which is why I remark on it now.
Lots of equipment, additional noise and dense smells along with a screwy light pattern had this knotted concentration of strangers a little edgy. Street pavers and drivers were wary of each other, but pedestrians were the most inconvenienced. Navigating machinery, avoiding frustrated drivers and waiting to catch the eye of an orange vested traffic director made crossing the street a scary, difficult thing.
Two folks, a man and lady who appeared to me to be developmentally challenged, approached what should have been the crosswalk. She especially was disturbed: the broad white crossing lines had been covered, the lights weren't doing their normal thing, it was stinky, noisy and too hot. She gestured at the the sticky goo and didn't want to step off the curb and get the tarry mess all over her shoes. A do-ragged, sweaty construction guy acted quickly, hoisted her piggy back, held out a hand to stop traffic and got her safely and sans goo across the wide street. She waved a happy hand as the guy sprinted back to his post. I'm sure his kind act was not covered in his initial interview when hired and was nowhere in the company job description or contract with the city.
What a human thing to do.
When I finally got a chance to turn, I swung wide just to tell him I thought he was a good guy.
I bet the Good Samaritan didn't start out good. He became good when he touched the wounds of his hated tribal rival - a beat up Jew. Being human is doing good and doing good is always costly. Much cheaper and more cost effective to talk about good and being enraged when someone else isn't. It's also more common.
Jesus "dwelt among is" and became human in doing so. Jesus and the construction guy tell me that to be fully human I have to be fully engaged with and attentive to someone other than my moderately interesting self.
Becoming human has a price tag attached and maybe that's why it's rare. And valuable.
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