For the longest time, I have wondered at that story… because I see people, all over the place, on TV, on the radio, even in pulpits, angry, yelling, “scourging” with their words, all kinds of people, from Democrats to Republicans, to people on welfare, to the rich, to people of different religions and backgrounds, to gays and lesbians and trans folk, et al… and I’ve yet to actually see an example of this sort of behavior actually fit the standards of “What Jesus would do”… because all of them who shout at all the “sinners” don’t seem to recognize, in themselves, their own sins, and just seem to be trying to blame everyone else, but themselves, for all the problems in the world…
But I ~finally~ found a working example, that fits, at the homeless shelter I’m staying at… I’m staying there because there’s no available housing here, right now, even though I could afford a place, and also because my family won’t have me in their home, and I can’t move out of state to live with other family, because I need to stay here, close to my daughter.
So, last night, after dinner, me and 3 friends went out for a smoke… yes I’m still a smoker =P anyways, Me, Phil, and a young couple who’ve been seeing each other for a while now, came around the corner to the smoking area to a crowd of about half the guys from the shelter, most of them younger, in their 20’s. Several of them were picking on this one kid, who’s a bit hyperactive and talks a lot… probably about stuff that’s not really appropriate most of the time, but ~shrugs~ most people just ignore that stuff
…
So 3-4 of the guys were picking on him about his “prowess”, while the rest just laughed, like it was funny… it just made me angry and sad, both that they were picking on this kid, and how disgustingly disrespectful what they were saying about women, in doing so… I don’t even want to repeat what they were saying, because they were ~also~ arguing about what was statutory rape, and what wasn’t, etc…
Then Phil turns to the other guy in our group, and says to him, “Some people just have no f-ing respect.” then walks into the middle of this crowd of about 15 guys, some of them towering over him, as Phil’s not that big and, lights up his cigarette. He just stands there for a minute, the guys not even noticing him there, and keeping on with all their loud, trashy talk… and we just kinda stood there, watching, a little surprised, since Phil usually just keeps to himself, “minding my business” he’ll say with a slight smile, if you ask him what he’s up to.
After one more loud mouth starts in on the kid, and finishes his verbal spew, Phil raises his head, and turns around, facing the loudest of the bunch… I’ll call him Joe… and loudly asks, “What the f— is wrong with you people, talking all this sh-- when there’s ladies present?”
Joe glares back at him, points up the road, and yells back, “If you don’t like it, why don’t you just keep walking?”, then he points at the younger girl in our group… she’s very friendly, and pretty, and some of the guys treat her poorly, as if she’s into them, just because she’s nice to them, when her boyfriend isn’t around… as if she’s “loose” when she ~isn’t~… so Joe points at ~her~ and says, “She’s not complaining, she probably likes it!”
Phil doesn’t say anything back, just then, but looks up the road, all slow, like in a movie, then carefully removes his sunglasses, folding them, and placing them in his coat pocket, then turns back to Joe and says, “Just because she doesn’t say anything, doesn’t mean she likes it, so why don’t you just stop talking so much bull ****?”
Joe puffs up and responds “Dude, I ~know~ what I’m talking about, I’ve been there and done it all.”
Phil says back, “I don’t give a F— what you think you know, I’m just sick of hearing all the s— talk, Especially when there’s ladies present.”
Everyone there is silent. It takes a few seconds, and then Joe says, “You right. I apologize.” then turns to the younger girl and say “I apologize to you, too. I’m sorry.”
Phil say back, much calmer now, “I don’t need your apology, I just want this stuff to stop,” then he turns his back on Joe and says to boy that was getting picked on, “and you don’t need to be adding to it, either.” After the boy nods in return, Phil puts his glasses back on, walks out of the crowd, and leans against the wall to finish his cigarette.
We’re awestruck for a minute, and then, as normal chatter resumes, our little group walks up the street a ways, Phil rejoining us, leaving the boys to themselves.
That was the end of it… sort of.
The next morning, after wake up call, we were in the lobby, and Joe was sitting in a chair by the door. Phil, head down slightly, headphones and sunglasses on, shouldering his backpack, walks out the door like he does every morning. A few seconds later he comes back in, sets his backpack down next to Joe’s chair, and pulls a strip of pictures, from one of those machine at the mall, out of his wallet and hands it to Joe.
After Joe’s looked at them for a few seconds, and nods, as if starting to understand, Phil says, “That’s ~my~ little girl. Every other girl in the world, is someone ~elses~, little girl, and the amount of respect that you show ~them~, is a measure of the amount of ~self~ respect, You have.”
Joe starts to apologize again, saying “Yeah, I know, I was out of line last night…”
Phil cuts him off, gently, with a shake of his head, “Everyone out there was. You were just the only one that defended it.” Phil takes back his pictures, puts them away, and looks up at Joe with a small smile, and a laugh, as if to say, “Don’t worry about it,” shoulders his bag, and walks out the door.
