What One Man's Life Could Be Worth -- Music Monday
According to the site, Holidays for Everyday, which has a list of all sorts of obscure days set aside to celebrate or honor one thing or another, yesterday, March 13th, was Good Samaritan Day. Most have probably heard the story of the Good Samaritan, the parable Jesus told as an answer to the question, "And who is my neighbor?" In the story, the Good Samaritan showed mercy on a stranger in need and helped him. Coincidentally, this morning in church, a special collection was taken up to aid the homeless shelter in our town. Another case of people helping strangers in need.
So, I began thinking today of times when I have been helped by strangers acting as Good Samaritans. When I was in college, I purchased my first car. It was a little white Honda Civic. It was shaped sort of like a potato and was dubbed with the name "Spud" by one of my college friends. The name stuck and everyone began calling my car Spud. This picture isn't of Spud, but my car looked just like this. Spud was a good little car, and I had it for ten years. It, like its owner, however, did not care for extremely cold temperatures. In fact, it had a habit of stalling out in the winter when temperatures dropped down to negative integers as it is want to do on occasion here in northern Ohio. I can remember two particular occasions when Spud stalled out due to very cold temperatures at most inopportune times.
One time I was driving in the town of Bowling Green where I went to college. It was a bitterly cold winter day. I was at the intersection of two busy streets, smack dab in the middle of it where the two streets crossed each other, and making a left turn when Spud stalled. Before I could even try to decide what to do, a group of five college age guys seemed to appear out of nowhere and came running out into the middle of the intersection. One of them quickly began directing traffic around me signaling with his hands, taking charge. The other four gentlemen ran up to my car. One of them yelled at me as he came running up and told me to shift the car into neutral. He told me to steer into the lot of a gas station on the corner, which I did, while he and his three friends quickly and handily pushed my car out of the intersection and out of the way of oncoming cars and into the safety of the gas station lot. Just as quickly as they appeared, they disappeared again continuing down the street. I was able to get assistance at the gas station to get my car started again and before too long I was on my way. I never got the opportunity to thank those five guys who came to my rescue that day or even to find out who they were. They were definitely Good Samaritans in my mind.
Another frigid winter day, my car stalled out right after I turned onto a busy highway. I managed to coast the car over to the side of the road, but I was at a loss as to what to do then. This was before the days when everyone had a cell phone with them, and I was pretty much out in the middle of nowhere several miles from where I would be able to get any help from anyone. I was only 19 or maybe 20 years old. It was snowing, the wind was blowing, and I certainly didn't want to get out and start walking and looking for help in subzero temperatures. A trucker coming from the opposite direction, saw me and stopped to see if I needed help. I was a little frightened to talk to him because he was a stranger, was quite a bit older and stronger than I was, and I really didn't know what his intentions were when he stopped. I felt I had no choice but to trust him, so I explained what had happened. He used his radio to call for assistance for me from an area state highway patrolman. A jump start to the battery got Spud going, and before long, I was on my way. Once again, I had been rescued by the kindness of strangers.
Perhaps there have been times when you have been helped by the generosity of strangers or perhaps you were in the position to help others and did so. Helping one another can not happen without a certain amount of trust from both parties. Some are afraid to offer assistance to another for fear of becoming victims themselves. Others are afraid to accept help, even though they may need it, because they question the motives of their benefactors. Imagine how the world could change, though, if everyone were willing to help those around them in need and that we could all be trusting enough to receive that help.
The lyrics to a song by Harry Chapin come to mind. Part of the lyrics to the song, "I Wonder What Would Happen To This World" go like this:
"Oh if a man tried
To take his time on earth
And prove before he died
What one man's life could be worth
I wonder what would happen to this world"
To take his time on earth
And prove before he died
What one man's life could be worth
I wonder what would happen to this world"
Harry was well known for his efforts to stop World Hunger and his other acts of charity and philanthropy. He lived his life as a Good Samaritan. According to Wikipedia,
"One report quotes his widow saying soon after his death — 'only with slight exaggeration' — that 'Harry was supporting 17 relatives, 14 associations, seven foundations and 82 charities. Harry wasn't interested in saving money. He always said, 'Money is for people,' so he gave it away. Despite his success as a musician, he left little money and it was difficult to maintain the causes for which he raised more than $3 million in the last six years of his life.'"
I was unable to find a video of Harry singing this song, but I did find one of his daughter singing it. I like Harry's version a little better, but still this will give you an idea of what the song was about. His example would be a good one for all of us to follow, if only we could and would.
Jen Chapin--"I Wonder What Would Happen To This World"
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