An aggressive man gets on the subway, pushing passengers out of the way: an old woman manages to calm him down with a simple gesture
Nowadays it is very easy to stop at appearances and judge others without having all the information we need to better understand who we are faced with. There is less and less interest in others and sharing the difficulties that they could be facing. Life is hardly a walk in the park - we all suffer for one reason or another, but then why can't we show a little more compassion for those who are more fragile? A man with an aggressive attitude entered a metro car and began to alarm the passengers with his screaming and swearing. Many turned away from him, leaving him alone. Everyone, except a nice old woman who probably made the only possible gesture to calm the man: she gave him her hand and made him feel less alone, just like a mother would do with her child.
One of the passengers present at that moment, Ehab Taha, managed to capture the scene, photographing the big man sitting on the ground and with tears in his eyes, holding the hand of the old lady, who was sitting right next to him in one of the free seats. The simple gesture of a 70-year-old stranger who could very well have been his mother was enough to calm him down. None of the other passengers had shown any sympathy or genuine concern for the man's condition, but that sweet old lady did. Ehab Taha then wanted to talk to that lady, asking her the reason for her gesture. The woman's response was very touching: "I am a mother and he needed someone to be close to him, even just the touch of a hand," she said, and this had moved her to act.
If we all showed a little more compassion and understanding towards others, perhaps the world would be a little less cruel than it appears!
