Check It Out: Lessons from a homeless hero
By Joan Janzen
Did you hear about the super hero - X-ray man? When a concerned citizen shouted, “Quick! The thief is getting away!”, X-ray man calmly responded, “Yes, I can see that.”
A recent news story revealed an unlikely hero coming to the rescue. Police in California were assisted by a surprising source, who stopped a suspect who had stolen a fire truck from a medical centre.
A firefighter described the incident, saying two firefighter medics were transferring care to doctors and nurses at the hospital. The captain and engineer were busy loading the gear back on to the rig. At that point someone stole one of the trucks, and started driving it away from the hospital.
A police chase began, but at some point, a homeless man stepped out in front of the stolen fire truck, and talked to the suspect until the situation was resolved. A witness captured a photo of the incident.
The witness said it was amazing how the homeless guy walked up in front of the fire truck and started talking to the driver through the windshield. He kept telling the suspect to please get out of the truck, saying ‘we don’t want to hurt you’. Finally the suspect opened the truck door and surrendered peacefully.
When the homeless man was asked why he had courageously intervened, he said it was because he didn’t want the suspect to get hurt. While many people will be quick to take photos at crime scenes, not many will step in and do something to hep. However it’s amazing that this homeless man wasn’t concerned about the stolen truck, but was motivated by compassion for a thief. Many would say the thief deserved to be hurt, but the homeless man didn’t.
Not only did he courageously step in and do the right thing, but he approached the suspect with compassion. He may have been able to sympathize with the man. He may have realized what causes desperate people to go to such extreme measures. Unlike people who live comfortable lives, the homeless man may have played the part of a hero because he had little to lose.
While we are more prone to look to government, professionals and leaders to provide solutions and come to the rescue, a homeless man courageously stepped forward and did what few government leaders or professionals would do.
Our government leaders could learn a few lessons from the homeless hero. Could our Prime Minister benefit from lessons from the homeless man, given the PM describes a group of Canadians as “taking up space” and asking if we should “tolerate these people”?
Does the government need pointers on how to protect Canadians, as they continue to print money, causing surging inflation and an increased financial burden on the next generation? Could the official opposition use some lessons on courage, when their members choose to vote to meet the approval of their caucus?
The good news is, there are people, like the homeless man, who are courageously stepping out. We’ve seen everyday citizens join forces to rescue Afghanistan families from death, and find accommodation for them in North America.
A group of five concerned women in the Dallas area had compassion on these single mothers. They reached out to families who were living in empty apartments; they weren’t expecting the government to provide a solution. The small group was overjoyed when a hotel manager found out about their efforts on Google. The hotel was renovating 146 rooms and donated all their furniture to the refugees.
We may not all step out in front of a stolen fire truck, but we all have opportunities to step out and show compassion and courage.