Our good nature has Faltered

Our good nature has Faltered
We need to feel more
February 25, 2012
By: Gina Yoryet Roman


Everything happens for a purpose. We all experience fortunate or unfortunate “accidents” throughout life.
In reality they are not accidents, we ignore that those events are predestined; they were carved on stone long before we were born and they are meant to happen at the right place and time but it is not our duty to decipher them. Neither is it our duty to seek our will as we are instruments of the divine power above us and students of life.

Life holds many deep secrets of our existence which we will never be able to understand. Human behavior is one of the most complex issues to ponder about, there have been many books in regards to this matter but nobody can ever get to the bottom of it.

I once read a book on evolution, “The Selfish Gene,” by Richard Dawkins published in 1976 that says something very interesting and true. All human beings are born with a good side and an evil side but most of us have the tendency to develop our evil side a lot more than our good one. She describes the gene-centered view of evolution so that brought upon even more doubts within.

This question, “What is my purpose, why here, now?” has lingered in my mind all my life, I’ve read, investigated, talked to friends, interviewed people and I am just about ready to give up, stop wondering, keep my mind busy and not focus on my needs and feelings in order for me to look outside of my crystal bubble and try to help others.

Sometimes when I’m driving or walking I look at people and wonder what is going on inside them but they are all hard to read. And I ask myself, “Would they help someone in need or would they stop for a few minutes and talk to a lonely soul as distracted and rushed as they may be?” “I am sure they will,” I reply to myself. “After all, we are all one heart, one soul, one brotherhood.”

Such perspective I had until yesterday’s incident, one of the most impacting and agonizing happenings that I had ever witnessed. An event I only saw from afar in tragic and bloody movies.

Walking on the streets a few steps from getting to my place yesterday a little past 5pm I was very distracted thinking about how overwhelming life seems to be getting lately with the few projects going on that I somewhat got completely disconnected until I came across an older woman in her late 70’s. Just as I passed by, she pulled out a knife and was about to stab herself. The second I saw the knife aiming right at her chest I sprinted towards her and struggled with her to take it away.

While struggling her infuriated eyes spitting out fire pierced right through me, a bit taken aback she must have cursed the moment I appeared.

Once I managed to calm her down a little, I yelled for the security guards to call for help but they answered sarcastically, “oh, don’t bother, she’s just an aggressive and crazy old woman, leave her alone.” And went right back inside.

At that moment I felt as thought I'd been the one who had gotten stabbed, it was so painful to see that not a single soul lifted even one finger to help so I sat down next to the woman trying to get to the bottom of her despair.
It turns out that her son kicked her out of her house and stole all her money and belongings and she ended up in the street so she went in there looking for him at work – at the security place without avail. According to her, he's been negligent to see her for nine months! What a coward! What kind of son does that to the woman who gave birth to him?

I was on the verge of tears and felt useless not being able to find a solution for her. I offered to take her into the little church on the next block but she was very oblivious to do it so I talked to her for another few minutes to be able to come up with another option.

I told her to wait there and I ran to the temple to look for help but it was very shocking to see that the people there were very reluctant to help. They didn’t want to call or be involved in the matter.
It was horrifying and unexpected to get that kind of response from such devoted fellow Christians!!

When I had finally called the crisis hotline and went back to where she was, she had vanished.
Literally crying and walking in a daze, I came home and dropped on the couch, cried and prayed for that empty and lonely soul in despair.
It was very shocking to witness once again that we can indeed be very selfish but I guess I was naïve to what extent.




We need to feel more
To understand others
We need to love more
To be loved back
We need to cry more
To cleanse ourselves
We need to laugh more to enjoy ourselves

We need to be honest and fair
When interacting with people
We need to establish a strong ethical basis
As a way of life
We need to see more
Than our own fantasies
We need to hear more
And listen to the needs of others

We need to give more
And take less
We need to give more
And take less
We need to share more
And own less

We need to realize the importance of the family
As a backbone to stability
We need to look more
And realize that we are not so different from one another

We need to create a world where
We can trust one another
We need to create a world where
We can all peacefully live
The life we choose.

Susan Polis Schutz