On Every Street

Let me preface by saying that it has never been my fervent desire to be considered a nice person and I may not even be one.  I mean, I do try to respect people, attempt to help out where I can and have been known to extend a sympathetic ear every now and then.  But I also avoid eye contact with strangers when they approach me on the streets, either asking for change or to fill out a survey; have glared at the occasional barista who is either rude or too friendly, and would probably make a sympathetic noise - but keep walking - if I see a bird with a broken wing on the curbside.  So this is not about me trying to promote myself as the second coming of a saint, neither is it about any specific individual.  What it is, started off as a mission to find heroes, observe them, and also understand why they do what they do.  I have often considered it improbable; almost miraculous that majority of people would do something unselfish for others; and I never did believe in miracles.  But such people do exist, they are the volunteers - men and women who give their time for causes, without expecting anything in return, except perhaps the unsaid gratitude in the eyes of the people whose lives they touch.

On every street

Through these diaries I will share my experiences as a volunteer for Chicago Cares and Make-A-Wish Foundation; as well as some of the other enriching events that I hope have made me a better person.  And the title – it is one of my favorite songs by the group 'Dire Straits', where Mark Knopfler writes about his attempt to search for that special person on every street.  When I said that this started as a mission to find heroes, I was not looking for someone wearing a mask and a cape.  Now don’t get me wrong, these people do important work as well.  These are your men and women in uniform, the fire fighters, the doctors and even the philanthropists.  Why, even I have sent donations for disaster relief and for medical research and while that makes me an empathetic, even a kind person, I am averse to calling myself a hero.  Heroes are people who usually prefer to stay in the shadows.  They would walk by us and we wouldn't give them a second glance.  Some of them even look socially awkward and I myself have been guilty of stereotyping such people in the past.  Many of them will probably go through life without any recognition and some, like Eleanor Rigby, will probably pass into oblivion.  But to me, these are special people whose higher ideals are to be aspired for, and while there have been only a select few that I have had the privilege to meet, heroism is truly all around us… on every street.

What started as a mission to find heroes is now a life-affirming journey.  What started as a curiosity to observe has now become an immersive experience.  And what started as a question to understand why they do what they do, is now so irrelevant that it would be almost be insensitive to ask that.  It’s like what Chris-in-the-morning says in my favorite show 'Northern Exposure': “It’s not the thing you fling.  It’s the fling itself”.

The other day we went around the room introducing ourselves and I said the usual plain things that corporate life prepares us for.  What I really should have said is something that I have truly come to accept:

“Hi.  I am Ritesh…and I believe in miracles.”