Still In The Same Place

When I was a little boy there was a handicapped Jewish boy who was about my age who lived downstairs from me. He had a brother who was thank G-d healthy. This handicapped boy LOVED sports. The Yankees, Knicks and Rangers were his teams.

I saw him tonight in the elevator. 30 years have passed and he is in the SAME position. Literally. He is still sitting in a wheelchair being pushed around by his parents. His brother has moved on, gotten married and became a doctor like his father. But my poor friend - still living in the same home, stationary in his wheelchair. He has aged considerably. Not much to look forward to in life except his parents eventually dying and being placed in an institution.

When I saw him I said "Hey, still like the Rangers?" "Of course" he replied. That was the beginning and end of our conversation. He doesn't have much else in life besides the Rangers. How very sad that makes me.

The lesson I learn is to uproot the egocentricity which is so strongly rooted in my nature. Think about someone elses suffering! Stop worrying about my own problems and remember to empathize with others.

I hope my brief meeting with my neighbor made me a better person. And I pray that Hashem have rachmanus on him [and the rest of us] and redeem the world from this all too often bitter existence of suffering and we shall live in a perfected world of pure good!