The worst in us...

Today something sad happened…our neighbor was evicted. Having very closely been in his shoes several years back, we feel badly for him and his financial troubles. Although we rarely saw him and only exchanged a few friendly words when we did cross paths, we didn't really know the man - yet his life unfolded before our eyes.

First he was visited by some folks from the Children's Services Department…and soon his two boys stopped spending the weekends with their father. Then his work truck was fitted with a boot and an officer actually asked my kids to go get him a screw driver so he could take the plates too. Then the eviction notes began to appear on his door. Now all of his belongings are on his front lawn for the world to know his troubles.

Worst yet is the mob outside picking over his belongings like a bunch of vultures. I mean, the body's not even cold yet people! I don't even know if he knows they finally "set him out" and yet the whole neighborhood is outside taking their pick. Is the economy to blame? Or are we humans hard-wired to ignore our empathy and only look out for ourselves?

My child has eyed a few odds and ends that she might like for herself, but we have firmly told her that we won't be part of the pack out there. Of course her friends are in there hip deep like it is Christmas…so she doesn't get our hang-ups over the whole affair. What happened to common decency? Perhaps we are only able to be empathetic to this man's pain because we too are poor and have been unable to pay our bills from time to time. Our shared experience of trying our best but failing allows us to treat him with respect at a time when I am sure his own self-respect must be low.

I only wish my neighbors were so enlightened...