I witnessed a good thing yesterday in San Jose. A Sikh man, a cap driver, got out of his cab and walked towards me with a dollar in his hand. I had stopped to take a photo of a cosplayer. He walked past me without making eye contact. Instead, he focused on the homeless man in the shadows of the Fairmont Hotel behind me. The Sikh handed the dollar to the homeless man without exchanging words and then walked back to his cab where I overheard him talking to another Sikh. They were discussing the San Francisco Giants.
I had noticed the homeless man earlier, but I had ignored him. He was one of many homeless people I had seen in my walk around the city. St. James Park near downtown was thick with all types of people sleeping, eating, and bathing. The homeless were everywhere.
Despite walking the entire downtown area looking for photo opportunities, my generous spirit (or the generous spirit I like to think I have), never extend to helping people without first being asked. I’ll have to work on that.
Sikh’s are an interesting religion. I spent some time reading about them this morning. They value selfless service. I don’t know any Sikhs. I’ll have to make an effort to meet one. The largest Sikh temple in Southern California is located within a mile of my home. I wonder if they would welcome an Atheist visitor.
