The Kindness of Strangers

As the other passengers and I heard the boarding call for our departing flight out of Abu Dhabi the other day, as usual, we were separated by economy and business class lines as we were ushered forward.

I noticed a couple, first sitting and waiting like the rest of us, then again when they stood in the business class line.

The guy was black, I'm guessing about 35 or so.  He had on those big imposing headphones, listening to music I suppose.  The woman was white.  She looked older, fiddling with her phone.

While waiting, a young man in a wheelchair was wheeled forwarded, pushed by an airport porter.  He was traveling alone.

Immediately, this young black became aware of the man in the wheelchair, and kept a close eye on him.

Interestingly, the buildings here are not wheelchair friendly, at all.  Public transportation either.

This flight required us to board a bus, and be taken to the tarmac across the airport, to board our plane.

There was no way to get this wheelchair-bound man on the bus easily.  Although a thin man, it took three guys to lift him in his wheelchair onto the bus, as there was not an automatic lift.

The black guy and his lady friend were already on the bus, but he immediately came forward to help when he saw what was happening.  He doted over the man, making sure his feet were properly positioned and that he was ok and comfortable.

He helped to guide him off the bus when we reached the plane.

All of the other passengers, including me, emptied the bus and climbed the 20-plus steps to enter the plane from the tarmac.

When I reached the top of the stairs and looked back, I saw the black guy had lifted the wheelchair man out of the chair.  He proceeded to carry him up all of those steps, brought him into the plane, sat him down and settled him in.  His lady friend carried his bag for him.  She then disappeared into the business class section of the plane. The man, however, arranged it with the flight attendant, changed his seat, and sat down next to the wheelchair man for the remainder of the flight.

Now this man had a business class ticket that would have been way more comfortable for him, as he was a big guy, but he gave it up to sit by the man through the flight, making sure he was OK.

You would think the wheelchair man would have been grateful for the help, but I didn't hear a whisper of thanks, or a motion of gratitude, which I thought was odd, tacky even.

But then, I thought about it some more, and realized that this young man was probably embarrassed that he needed help.  But the man helping him was undeterred by all the attention.  He continued to be his guardian angel.

It was an incredible case of kindness on display.

The consideration this guy showed the wheelchair man was extraordinary.  It's like he'd done this before.  He wasn't intimated by the chair or what it meant.  He didn't care what others around him thought.  He was all about action.  Helping this man in any way he could.

This was a powerful gesture - one of overwhelming concern - for his fellow man.

I was reminded of Ben's accident.

The six months or so that Ben was wheelchair-bound was a tough time, but it was a time of learning and growing, too.

Mostly, it was clear that folks in wheelchairs are so often invisible.  In Ben's case, they chose to look away, and not acknowledge his presence.  I'm sure these events were typical of others in the same predicament.

It is because of this experience with Ben, that I'm so much more conscious of people in wheelchairs and the logistical things that entails when they're trying to get around, like uneven payment and curbs.

This young man's actions warmed my heart.

May his unselfish act, be an example for us to follow.

As we celebrate this Christmas Season, may we all have the will and the wherewithal to reach out and help those in need, not for show, or expecting anything in return, but simply because it's the right thing to do.