When Do We Apply HUMANITY Instead Of The LAW?

When Do We Apply HUMANITY Instead Of The LAW?

When Do We Apply HUMANITY Instead Of The LAW?  Allow me to share here the Quora.com post by Bruktawit Abebaw last August 25th.  Helen Johnson from Tarrant, Alabama was caught stealing at a nearby DOLLAR GENERAL and the police were called to arrest her.  WHEN the officer arrived, he asked Helen WHAT she had stolen.  Her answer was heartbreaking:  FIVE EGGS TO FEED MY CHILDREN.  Instead of arresting her, the officer did something extraordinary.  He took her back to the supermarket and bought groceries for her and her kids.  Overwhelmed with gratitude, Helen cried and said:  SIR THIS IS TOO MUCH FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE FOR ME!!!

Indeed, a heart-wrenching story.  WHICH reminds me many years ago WHEN I was still residing in Singapore.  A young lady, likely below legal age, approached me and sought help to be rescued from an Indian syndicate WHO was purportedly unduly detaining her [with her fears she'll be sent to a sex den].  WHAT I did next was to find out the location WHERE she was purportedly locked and then, one early morning, she sneaked out.  Next thing I did, I bought her one-way return plane ticket with a STERN REMINDER that she should NOT explore going overseas again [UNLESS it's 100% legitimate enough]💧💧💧

Indeed, a single act of humanity, big OR small, even a welcoming smile OR literally a helping hand, a drink of water OR emotional support OR simply assisting a child get off the train, it can go a long way towards helping someone especially WHERE someone needs help either for reasons of FOOD or of FEAR.  Even as we speak now, conflicts along now raging in Ukraine and Gaza are enough to overflow the newswires bandwidth.  And that's NOT covering the widespread hunger and poverty💥💥💥

True, the harsh realities in life shows us this world spinning with little regard for human plight.  BUT random acts of kindness, no matter how small, should remind us of our shared HUMANITY, which brings us back to the PRINCIPLE of HUMANITY, a simple one that gives us the criterion for distinguishing RIGHT from WRONG❌❌❌

Our takeaway:  Being humane is NOT always defined by rules and laws.  It should NOT require that being humane should be written and documented.  At the end of the day, much as we DON'T want to end up in the plight of those who are suffering OR in need of help, the least we can do during these times WHEN we are NOT the ones needing help is to extend that helping hand within our means, even if it means to be non-financial OR non-material.  Even counselling and guidance will go a long way for us to apply HUMANITY INSTEAD OF THE LAW❗❗❗