(415) THE GLOW OF HUMANITY

Last night I watched a show on the educational channel about Jack Benny. That’s too far back in time for most of the readers to remember. However, for me it was a trip down memory lane, a lot of laughs, but sadness at the same time. Jack was a great comedian who surrounded himself with a wonderful supporting cast. Why sadness? The principles are all gone. Jack is dead, and so is his wife, Mary Livingston, along with Rochester, Dennis Day, Phil Harris, Mel Blanc and Don Wilson. Many of the people who talked about Jack Benny’s career are also deceased. Included in that group, Johnny Carson, Bob Hope, and Jack’s favorite comedian, George Burns. Although there was some sadness, it was a joy traveling down memory lane.

That brings me to the Thomas Merton experience. I’m not sure the two events are related, but here goes: Years ago, on the corner of Muhammad Ali (then Walnut Street) at Fourth Street, Thomas Merton observed that human beings had a glow about them. On the way to work today I saw people carrying their worldly possessions in plastic bags, and some were pushing grocery carts with their possessions. It was one of those moments when I regretted not having thousands of dollars of disposable income. I would have stopped and given all the street people a hundred bucks and told them to get a taxicab to take them to their next location. Unfortunately, my momentary poverty prevented me from helping.

Having said that, I also noticed there was a group of people who were walking around who looked odd by conventional standards. However, the bottom line was the same. Everyone had a glow about them. I have noticed this for the last couple of years, and I’m wondering if this is a sign that my days are limited. In any event get out there and enjoy the glow of your fellow man/woman. This is not a wholesale invitation to talk to the sociopath next door, so I suggest that you enjoy their glow at a distance. But enjoy it.

Respectfully submitted,
Donald M. Heavrin,
An observer of humankind