Yesterday I saw a guy in the midst of getting busted by Saskatoon's finest. Whoever he was and whatever he did must have been relatively serious, there were about 15 cars surrounding him as he was handcuffed on someone's front lawn (I bet the people who live in that house were a little concerned about what was happening).
As I drove by my rubbernecking allowed me to see the guy hauled to his feet by two officers. His hands were cuffed tightly behind his back. I noticed the guy in cuffs let out a deep breath, his long hair blew in the wind, his eyes focused on the ground. For a brief moment I felt a twinge of what must have been going through his mind.
Driving on, I began to consider how that guy's day had begun and how he ended up in that position. For some reason in my mind's eye I could see him sitting down to breakfast. Starting his day like any other, with no inkling that the day would finish behind bars.
What was it that he had done? Was it a crime that he committed yesterday or one committed weeks or even months ago? Did he plan on breaking the law that day or did circumstances put him in a position where he had little choice? I won't say no choice. We can always choose to not break the law. Can't we?
Going back years. What choices did he make at a much younger age that lead him to end up in handcuffs? Was this the first time he had been arrested or just another in a long line of run-ins with the law?
Maybe I am crazy. Maybe I over think events like this sometimes. I guess this one can be chalked up to that instant where I could almost feel what he was feeling. In that instant he wasn't just another crook being pulled off the streets, he was another human being whose life was in a very bad place.
Maybe he is a really bad dude. Maybe he has killed somebody. Maybe he has left a trail of tears in his life and those who know him hate the sound of his voice. I will probably never know. Funny though, without any back story I am able to look at him with compassion. God is able to look at us with compassion and God knows our back stories.
I am sure the world would be a better place if we were able to look at everyone who crossed our path with this same kind of compassion. But, that is impossible, isn't it? How could we go through life not looking out for our own self interest and not judging people? That goes against everything we are conditioned to do.
This is too much for me to think about. I'm going to turn the stereo up a little louder, hopefully the chatter will clear my mind.
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