How we treat others says much about who we really are. Civility, mercy, sacrifice, and integrity hold our society together. Yet such qualities often seem in short supply. Too often, arrogance and indifference isolate us from one another and harden our hearts.
So taught Fiorello LaGuardia, mayor of New York City at the time of the Great Depression. One winter day as he presided at police court, an officer brought in a shabbily dressed man charged with stealing a loaf of bread. The defendant explained tearfully that his family was starving.
“I have got to punish you,” LaGuardia stated. “I can do nothing but sentence you for breaking the law. The fine will be 10 dollars.” But as he spoke, the mayor reached into his pocket: “Here’s the 10 dollars to pay your fine.” Then, looking around the courtroom, he continued, “I’m going to fine everybody here 50 cents for living in a town where a man has to steal bread to eat.” He ordered the bailiff to collect from everyone and give the money to the defendant.
The stunned man left the courtroom with $47.50—not much by today’s standards, but the mayor was not just asking for money; he was asking for compassion and encouragement for one of God’s children.1
That’s something we can all give. We can lift and bless with a smile, a handshake, a compliment, or kindness. We can be generous with our time, treat others like they matter, be sensitive to their feelings and their needs. In doing this, we do more than alleviate the suffering of a single soul—we help bring greater unity to our society.
1 See Clifton Fadiman, ed., The Little Brown Book of Anecdotes, ed. [name of editor or compiler] (1985), 339.
Program #3993