Saturday, November 18, 2006
A Modicum of Dignity
As we were taking a break from apartment hunting in Washington Square, we noticed a homeless guy approaching one of the trash cans across the walkway from us.
He walked up to the side of the can and in as calm a fashion as he could muster, sat himself down, cross-legged, on the side of the can as if it were a fine chair at a Swiss finishing school. Sadly, trash cans and intoxication are not perfect companions but at least he managed to maintain his composure as he slowly reached into the can to search for lunch. Cross-legged, wobbling on the can rim, intoxicated - I am amazed he didn't end up on the can!
Still, it impressed me that it was important to him that he not be seen as someone who was about reaching into and rifling into trash cans, that he could offer a facade that he was just sitting there and that the Starbucks in his hand magically appeared or was there all along.
He walked up to the side of the can and in as calm a fashion as he could muster, sat himself down, cross-legged, on the side of the can as if it were a fine chair at a Swiss finishing school. Sadly, trash cans and intoxication are not perfect companions but at least he managed to maintain his composure as he slowly reached into the can to search for lunch. Cross-legged, wobbling on the can rim, intoxicated - I am amazed he didn't end up on the can!
Still, it impressed me that it was important to him that he not be seen as someone who was about reaching into and rifling into trash cans, that he could offer a facade that he was just sitting there and that the Starbucks in his hand magically appeared or was there all along.
# posted by SamIAm @ 12:52 PM 
