Socrates (image right) is one of the founders of Western philosophy who made important contributions to logic and the derivations of knowledge. A man of middle class background, today he would be called a man of the common people.

[image from Brittanica.com]

He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother

I ran into the grocery store to buy a few potatoes to throw into my cabbage and veggie soup. Sitting on the pavement outside the store's sliding door was a man. He caught my eye because he was groomed, shaven. The blanket he had over his shoulders was clean and folded neatly to drape around his shoulders and over his chest at precise angles. In truth, he looked like an accountant. His appearance belied the beggar's cup and neatly printed "HOMELESS" sign on the concrete in front of him.

He told me he had just finished a nasty divorce, that he had been a teacher. He told me he was sober, he just needed food. Then he apologized for being so aggressive. I shot back that he had been quite polite.

My immediate thought was he was up to some con. But the night was cold, it was getting late. Unless this was some social experiment and he was an undercover anthropologist, he would have to be nuts, or desperate, to be doing this. I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Although I will not give money to non-profit charities (bloated executive salaries and perks) or to able-bodied men who can work, I will spend some on people who catch my interest by buying them food. I only had seven bucks on me. The potatoes cost two. I found some sliced ham and Swiss cheese in the deli case for my remaining five.

On the way out I handed him the bag and told him bon appétit and that I hoped he wasn't a vegetarian. He thanked me and said he loved me.

That kind of stunned me, so I did not react and kept walking while thinking, "I love you, too." But, I did not say it. I am ashamed to admit that I felt inhibited in expressing it.

So, here it is. You, mister, you whose questionable taste in wives is surpassed only by your poor judgment in picking  a divorce attorney -- leaving you begging -- you are my brother, a fellow human being. I wish social convention would encourage me to keep in contact, to be your friend, to feed you once in a while, to help you heal your heart so that you could continue your life with dignity and a full stomach.

All human beings are my brothers and sisters. We are all children of the same mother. How I wish aliens would land here to teach us this lesson! Earth governments would fear this because they would lose power over us if we all affirmed our kinship. Powerful interests vested in the continuing hostility between various factions would oppose this awareness.

Socrates said, "I am a citizen not of Athens nor of Greece, but of the world." To all of you, my brothers and sisters, I say, "I am a citizen not of California nor of the United States, but of Earth." We will never have peace on this planet until we all realize our common origin. We will never have sanity in our various cultures until governments become much less relevant. Borders are, after all, only lines on a map.

The only lines that really matter are those that connect your heart to the hearts of others. These lines transcend governments and borders -- they even transcend space and time. Join with me and the other people on our planet who think this way. You might be surprised how many of us there are.

Could it be possible to feel such kinship with people who live in cultures built on different planets? I would like to think so. I would like to try -- as I become a galactic citizen.