From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Wed Mar 04 2009 - 14:06:50 EST
DON'T WE ALL NEED A HELPING HAND!
Dr. Tesfa G. Gebremedhin
University of Bahrain
04.03.2009
We all think that we are quite independent and need no help from anybody. If
we have accumulated a little amount of money in the bank, or own some real
estate, we think that we own the world and claim that we need nobody to rely
on. Some of our women in our community divorce their husbands thinking that
they can support themselves and have harmony in life without the help of
their husbands. Some men in our own community also divorce their wives
thinking that they can manage their daily lives well and have happiness
without their wives. Some of us professionals and scholars fail to
understand that if we light a lamp for a fellow Eritrean, it will also
brighten our path in life and succeed best. Some of us do not join our
communities thinking that we would only be harassed and humiliated by
individuals whom we think are not our equals. But, the fact of the matter is
that, no matter what position we hold, what kind of property we own, what
amount of wealth we possess, we all need a helping hand in one way or
another. The touching story below from an unknown author, which is modified
to suit to the purpose, will elaborate the message this article is trying to
convey.
A young man was wiping off his car which was parked in front of the parking
lot of a mall in New York City. He had just come from the car wash and was
waiting for his wife to get out of work. Coming his way across the parking
lot, was what society would consider a bum, a middle age man. From the looks
of this middle aged man, he had no car, no home, no clean clothes, and no
money. There are times you feel generous but there are other times that you
just do not want to be bothered. This was one of those days the young man
did not want to be bothered. The young man hoped the bum would not ask him
for any money. The bum came and sat on the curb in front of the bus stop but
he did not look like he could have enough money to even ride the bus. After
a few minutes the bum started to speak to the young man. The bum said, "That
is a very pretty car." The bum was ragged but he had an air of dignity
around him. His scraggly blond beard kept more than his face warm. The young
man replied, "Thanks," and continued wiping off his car. The bum sat there
quietly as the young man was busy with his car. The expected plea from the
bum for money never came. As the silence between the two men widened the
young man wanted to ask the bum if he needs any help. The young man asked,
"Do you need any help?" The bum answered in three simple but profound words
that the young man would never forget. The young man expected nothing but an
outstretched grimy hand from a bum. The bum spoke the three words that shook
the young man. The bum replied gracefully by saying, "Don't we all?" The
young man thought that we often look for wisdom in great men and women, not
from a bum wandering in the street. He expected such wisdom and wit from
those of high learning and from those with great accomplishments in life.
The young man was feeling high and mighty, successful and important, above a
bum in the street, until those three striking words hit him like a bullet
from a firing shotgun. Impressed by the words of wisdom from the bum, the
young man reached in his wallet and gave the bum not only enough for a bus
fare, but enough to get a warm meal and shelter for the day. Those three
simple words remained ringing true in his ears for ever.
The moral lesson of the story is that we all need help in so many ways and
for so many things. May be not for a bus fare or a place to sleep, or a
piece of cloth or a pair of shoes to wear, but we all need help in some form
or another. No matter how much wealth we have accumulated as property or
cash money in the bank, no matter how much we have accomplished in our
professional career, we still need help from each other. No matter how
little we have to share, no matter how loaded we are with problems, even
without money or a place to sleep, we can still give some kind of help to
somebody else. Even if it is just a simple and mere complement for a little
child or other person, we can give that help to that child or the other
person to build confidence and make a difference in life. We need to
understand that we may never know when we may see some people that appear to
have it all, but still they are waiting on us to give them what they do not
have. May be the middle aged man was a real bum, or just a homeless stranger
for some obvious reasons or another wandering the streets. May be he was
more than a bum; may be he was sent by a super natural power from above that
is great and wise, to save the lost souls too comfortable in themselves in
their own little world and do not even care about their fellow person next
door. May be God/Allah looked down with sympathy, called an Angel from
heaven, dressed him like a bum, then sent him to go to this wretched world
and minister to that young man and others like him who desperately need
help. Don't we all young and old, rich and poor, male and female need a
helping hand from each other?
Who does not need a helping hand? Our children of all ages need help to be
counseled, coached, encouraged, inspired, and motivated by all parents in
our community. Our senior citizens (men and women) need help to be comforted
and loved by all members of our community. Our professionals and scholars
also need help to have a positive attitude and turn around so they can find
someone in our community who needs their help. No doubt, our Eritrean
communities need help desperately. We are the only ones who can solve our
problems and build our own community by understanding and helping each
other. We can not expect a miracle to happen or wait for somebody to come
and solve our own problems. We need to develop a culture to sit down
together as civilized people to have a decent dialogue to solve our problems
and build our own community. Animosity, hostility, and skirmish political
enmity will never serve our purposes. We need to learn to have patience,
tolerance, perseverance, and care among ourselves, if we intend to have a
strong and viable community. We need to understand that it is the greatest
of all mistakes to do nothing to our own community, but it is the greatest
blessing to do something useful with love because it is the right thing to
do. Being a good Eritrean is good and admirable, but only when it is
combined with doing good is it useful and meaningful. In helping our
community, we shall help ourselves because whatever good we give always
comes back to us.
*Dr. Tesfa G. Gebremedhin is currently teaching at the University of Bahrain
for the Spring Semester as a U.S. Fulbright scholar.
<mailto:tgebrem@wvu.edu> tgebrem@wvu.edu