In a country that continues to lose its moral bearings, is it any wonder that it is increasingly more difficult to distinguish between those who really need help and those who do not?
In the years I lived and worked in Chattanooga, I cannot begin to recount all of the times that I was approached by someone on the street asking for money. On one occasion, a man in an wheelchair popped a wheelie and ended up tipping over backwards. I quickly went over to ask him if he was okay, thinking he could have hit his head on the pavement. He rolled over onto his knees, looked up at me and asked for money. A friend who was with him promptly smacked him on the head.
On another occasion, a friend of mine and I were coming out of the movies and were approached by a fellow named “Kevin Smith.” We listened to his story, and decided to give him a ride to the Salvation Army. They would not take him in, and when we planned to leave him there he got a bit upset. Finally, we agreed to drop him off at a restaurant, and gave him a few bucks for something to eat. My friend invited him to church, and over to his house for a meal on Sunday after church. He offered to pick him up, and told him where to be and at what time. He never showed. Some years later, “Kevin Smith” approached me while I was on a lunch break. He did not recognize me, and before he could begin his story I simply said, “I don’t have any money for you.” He walked away without a word.
The other night I was on my way home from a meeting, and coming around the exit ramp noticed a man standing outside of his car trying to waive someone down. I pulled over and rolled down the passenger-side window, and, boy, was he happy to see me. I am not going to attempt to recount everything he said, but his basic claim was that he needed money for gas, and TDOT would be there in about 20 minutes with a gas can. Shortly after I gave him some money, he drove away.
Many of you will recall that the final episodes of the TV sitcom Seinfeld were centered around an incident when Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer all witness a car-jacking, and make no attempt to come to the victim’s aid. Shortly thereafter, they are arrested for not adhering to the newly passed “Good Samaritan Law.” Their indifference (and the history of their indifference) becomes the focal point of the story, allowing for clip after clip from previous seasons to be shown again. Their self-centered lives ultimately prove to be their undoing, and the last laugh is on them. What an interesting cultural commentary upon our society this provides, and how ironic that our societal decline is even evidenced by those claiming to need the help of a Good Samaritan.