I am reminded of this joke... or is it?

Q: Whats the difference between ignorance and apathy?

A: I don't know and I don't care.

As I write this silly little blog, that gains some readers,I recently received a comment from a writer, poet, artist, who has his own blog. In that comment he made a wonderful observation. "helping someone, a stranger smiling at me" I want to first say, thank you for reading, and commenting. 

You sir, are correct. I would also add this to your comment. "helping a stranger".  That does at times appear to be lost in this fast moving day and age. I would like to share an example, this is just a microcosm of the problems that I have see in society at large.

I was going into my regular convenience store last week. Just popping in to pick up some 1/2 & 1/2.  I usually park at the gas pumps, if you  park in the "parking spots" backing up is a pain in the ass. As I got out of my car, there was this older woman, about 70'ish,  I would guess, standing in the front of her car, trying to fiddle with something.   I glanced over, she looked up and she asked me if I knew how to open the hood of her car? I told her that the latch was probably inside the car, and she walked over, opened the door. I showed her the latch, pulled it, and it made that "thunk" noise that we all know.

She then asked If I knew what kind of oil went in the car. I told her that it was usually written on the oil cap. She looked absolutely helpless. I was reminded of my grandmother and her knowledge of automobiles.

 Anyway, I asked the woman if she wanted me to check for her, she nodded yes. Indeed, the cap said "5W-30". She said that her oil light had come on, and she wondered if she needed oil. I went in my car, got a napkin, and checked her oil. She was down, almost to nothing. I suggested she follow me into the store. The clerk "John" said hello(I am a regular) , and I walked to the back of the store and picked up a couple quarts of oil, plus my 1/2&1/2, while the woman stood at the counter.  She paid for the oil, I asked her if she wanted some help putting the oil in, she gave me this smile, and nodded yes. I walked out, poured the oil into her car, checked the dipstick, and she was fine. I told her, that usually there is a leak, if the oil light comes on, all of a sudden.  She then said something that blew my mind, but in retrospect did not. 

She told me " what a nice young man you are, I asked about 10 people for help, and you are the first to help me, thank you so much" I was shocked. The fact that 10 people either did not have the time, or the inclination to help a stranger, it just made me shake my head in disbelief.  Is this where we are as a society? Is this what we have become? Very sad, very sad indeed.

This was confirmed to me a day later, I went into the same store, and John told me what a nice thing I did for that lady last night.  He could not go out to help, he was the only clerk on duty, but yes, she had asked many other people for help, and I was the only one to aid her.

It made me think about things in the bigger picture. I dare you to walk into any store or mall, and look around. I will bet the ranch that you will see most of the "younger" people all with their heads down, hands up, twiddling their fingers on their phones, totally unaware of what is going on around them. It appears that we are so self absorbed in our own little spheres, that we rarely look around at others. Am I wrong? 

Is it only in times of crisis that we help strangers?  

When I was a kid, our family moved, and our new next door neighbors were these two older women, both were in their 70's. When we were moved in, my dad told me and my brother, "you will cut their lawn, you will trim the hedges, and shovel their snow, you will not ask for money" it was the right thing to do. It was all about "duty".  From that point on, whenever we finished those chores, one of the women would call us into the house, and tell us take a couple of dollars, with the caveat " do not tell your father".  It was our little secret. We never took the money. But we would take a cold soda in the summer, or a hot cup of cocoa in the winter, and they would tell us stories out their lives. I wish I could get those simple times back.

If everyone would look around, help someone out, see if that "stranger" is in trouble, what a difference we could make, one small step at a time.