It is the Simple Things that Matter Most

You may ask what is this picture about?  It is very simple actually.

I was at church this morning and this man goes around giving everyone a holy picture.  I get mine and look at him.  He appears as nothing extraordinary.  My image of the sort of person doing such activity at church comes to mind and I figure a simple enough, churchy person.  All may speak of my experience or bias.  Anyway he goes to his car and there it is - a lovely, new, whits BMW.  It blew my mind as the car did not go with all my preconceptions.  This guy was undertaking a simple act that he sees as worthwhile and good but his own life may not be so simple.

I am on the bus on the way to church and I am part of a simple, everyday act of kindness.  An older woman needs a seat and when one becomes free, I tell the younger woman helping her.  Then I notice both the man near me and myself reaching out and helping the woman to the seat.  Nothing complicated.  Very natural thing to do.

Then I think back to my encounter of a month ago with one of fellow workers at the office.  Remember, he was angry with me?  One of his key points was that I am a foreigner and he does not understand foreigners.

Well, today, it struck me in these simple experiences arising in my day that life is rather simple.  Why complicate it?  It is not where we come from or what position or nationality we hold that matters.  It is about our sharing a common humanity.  We naturally share the same day, no matter who we are.  We all have limited bodies and needs during the day.  It is natural for us to help those we see along the way that need some help.  So why do we make it complicated and go on about our differences and how those differences are so ingrained and important, being the cause for separation or annoyance?  It makes no sense.  

Then I had another little insight from work yesterday.  The guy's basic issue is not with me and how we are different.  His real issue is with his own and how he is unhappy or frustrated by the workplace system of authority set up by his own.  It is just easier to blame someone else, an outsider.  Now this is not so uncommon.  It just is that it does not deal with any issue and makes everything all the more complicated.  Let's keep it simple.