Friday morning, while waiting on the subway platform, I noticed a seemingly perplexed tourist, with an upside-down map of New York City, attempting to find his own direction. He approached a middle-aged woman who politely apologized in half-broken English, and said that she didn't know how to help him. I walked over and said, "Do you need directions? It depends where you're going, but I might be able to help you." It turns out I knew which train to advise him to take, and which stop to get off at. He thanked me and I gave him a pat on the shoulder and said, "you're very welcome.. you have a good day, my friend." Now, normally I wouldn't just pat any old stranger on the shoulder, but something told me that this disheveled man could really use a little bit of human contact.
I didn't think anything much of what I had done; I had simply shared words with a friendly man who needed a little guidance in order to get to where he was going. I quickly realized however, that I had left this gentleman absolutely dumbfounded. He responded, "I can't believe you've been so friendly and helpful, thank you so much, what a breath of fresh air." I guess he was expecting the "stereotypical New Yorker" who doesn't have time for anything or anyone, but I try not to be "that guy," and my personal experiences suggest that as a collective, people have generally become more empathetic. There's nothing remarkable about this brief exchange between myself and this man. It turns out, I was running about five minutes behind schedule and I knew that I would be a few minutes late for my 10:45am meeting, but whether or not I chose to help this man, I had to wait on the platform for the subway regardless. So, why not pass the time by helping out another human being in need?
It turns out, this man was unfortunately headed to go visit a loved one who is in Lenox Hill Hospital right now. I want to make one thing clear: I'm not writing this article to advertise my own random act of kindness, but my encounter with this man on the subway platform left me feeling like I really made a difference in this stranger's life, even if just for a few minutes.. and I just feel like seeing or hearing about examples of altruism have helped me look at my day differently, with a more keen eye for those who might need a hand with something.
I've been on both sides of this type of human exchange plenty of times, but this was nothing compared to the time I had to play narrator via the red EMERGENCY button that allows you to converse directly with the train's conductor (you know the red button I'm talking about; it's the one you always kind of want to press every time you look at it but you wouldn't dare, and when you really think about it, you know that there's really nothing particularly enjoyable about pressing a tiny button on a gigantic underground train.)
So enough with the cliffhanger, I won't keep you in the dark any longer, dear reader. Long story short, when they tell you to "WATCH THE GAP" I can not stress enough how important it is that you LOOK BEFORE YOU STEP. Case in point, I had just gotten onto the subway, (I believe it was an Uptown local 6 train,) and one of my 8 million fellow New Yorkers ran onto the subway just in time to catch a ride before the doors promptly closed. He was in such a hurry that he did not look where he was stepping, and he managed to step directly into the gap. One leg was perfectly fine, inside the subway train car, while the other was literally knee-deep in the gap between the train and the platform.
Long story short, it appeared at first that the train's conductor was aware of the issue and knew not to pull away until everyone had both feet firmly on the subway cars' floor. This was not the case, and the train did that little kick that it does before it starts to move down the track which I can only think to compare to the kick you feel from an automobile's transmission when you really punch that gas pedal (for example, when you're merging onto the highway and need to match the relative speed of the traffic that's not far behind you.) So, we all felt the train kick, and while two or three people tried to maneuver the stuck man's leg from the tight vice of train and platform, I hit that previously mentioned red button.
The moment I hit that button (okay, let's be honest, I hit that button about thirty times in a row, as though there was a meter I was trying to fill to the top, for fear that one timid push would mean this man would live the rest of his life with 50% less leg than before.) That very moment, the train's kick paused, and I was greeted with a surprisingly monotone "yes..?" So I frantically said into this little speaker next to the infamous red button, "DO NOT MOVE THE TRAIN, SOMEONE'S LEG IS STUCK IN THE GAP!" An MTA employee was there within 30 seconds and with the help of the other passengers who were already trying to get the man's leg free, they finally got him back on two feet, and he didn't even want to get looked at by an EMT.
Now, even with the train's "kick" suddenly pausing when I hit the emergency button, I never attributed my incredibly simple action to have been what "saved" this man's leg, let alone his life, but a few weeks later, someone that I had discussed my experience with called me up and told me, "you're not gonna believe this, but remember that day you 'stopped the train' for that guy who was stuck between the train and the platform? Well that same thing must have happened yesterday, because I'm reading an article about it right now in the paper. And let's just say.. nobody hit the emergency intercom button." Unfortunately, this person wasn't as lucky as the man that my fellow New Yorkers and I helped. Now that is something I will forever be proud of, and I'll look back and remember the day that I "saved a man's leg and possibly his life," as my father proudly put it, when I told him about my experience on the train and the phone call about the less fortunate man a few weeks later.
I believe that we are all connected as human beings, and we owe it to each other, and to ourselves, to help those in need.. whether it's simply offering directions, or saving someone's leg, or doing something truly incredible and brave, like pulling someone out of a burning building. All of these things count; goodness, kindness, and positive intentions are far more contagious than any illness I've ever bear witness to. So, I wish you all the very best in your endeavors, however big or small, and I hope that no matter how steep your obstacles get, someone is there to put a hand on your shoulder and lead you in the right direction.
Love & Light.
