Give a Man a Fish.

In Meditations, Marcus Aurelius advises us to be altruistic, acting in the service of others without desire for personal gain, recognition, or praise. We are supposed to help others naturally and with nothing to be expected in return.

Standing in line waiting to grab my food for the day, weary from the errands that needed to be done. The Gulch is busy this week, many families are out, and I (along with my wife) are enjoying the weekend, and have gathered to rest and eat. A man comes up to me. He is no one I have seen before. He is young, young enough to change his life around at any point and be ok, I can smell him, his clothes were stale but not old or soiled. I can notice what he was wearing, the jacket was new, but broken/ his shoes were dirty but not worn out/ he didn’t seem to have any violent ticks or spasms. His arms and hands seemed free of track marks, I could not see his legs or feet. He looks me in the eye, his face is nervous (I do not blame him) his eyes are not blood shot and his pupils are constricted. In the softest voice the man tells me…

Sir, I am very hungry, can you buy me something to eat?

For a moment I think to myself, this man is out of his mind to walk up to a complete stranger and ask him to buy him food. He wasn’t asking for money to buy food; he wanted a meal. What would my wife think? Could I afford it? What food would he want? Then the dialogue in my mind shifted, it had shifted to think about how hungry this man must have been to walk up to a complete stranger and ask for food? The chance that I could tell this man no, I will not. I remember when I was in his shoes so hungry and has been that was for days already knowing that I have days more before I can eat anything; it isn’t a good feeling. His face is slowly sunken I can tell it must have been some time. I cannot leave someone asking me to feed them, I have to feed them!

It was only a second after he asked that I responded, it must have been the longest second of his life, I ask what he wants I’ll take anything he says. Without reaching for my phone or asking someone to record it I order this man as much as I can spare and make sure he can take it with him. He leaves and I go to sit down with my wife to eat. I could have done more. I could have told him no! I could have gotten him the cheapest thing on the menu, I fed him for as long as I could, I did the best I could at the time.

Seneca says I had never received a kindness than never bestow one, wherever there is a human being there is an opportunity for kindness.

What Kindness have I given this man? Faith in Humanity? Basic human interaction?

At the very least, I could give a man a fish.