Embracing Humanity’s Inherent Worth

At the end of World War II, a young man named Boyd Packer was stationed in Japan. In a war-torn country, this young man’s experience was not likely unique, but his own observations about the experience are what captured my attention. He said:

“I boarded a train in Osaka for Yokohama and a ship that would take me home. . . . It was a very chilly night. The railroad station, what there was left of it, was very cold. Starving children were sleeping in the corners. That was a common sight in Japan in those days. The fortunate ones had a newspaper or a few old rags to fend off the cold.

“In the bleak, chilly hours of the dawn, the train stopped at a station along the way. I heard a tapping on the window and raised the blind. There on the platform stood a little boy tapping on the window with a tin can. I knew he was one of the orphans and a beggar; the tin can was the symbol of their suffering. Sometimes they carried a spoon as well, as if to say, ‘I am hungry; feed me.’

“When I saw him and he saw that I was awake, he waved his can. He was begging. In pity, I thought, ‘How can I help him?’ Then I remembered. I had money, Japanese money. I quickly groped for my clothing and found some yen notes in my pocket. I tried to open the window, but it was stuck. I slipped on my trousers and hurried to the end of the car. He stood outside expectantly. As I pushed at the resistant door, the train pulled away from the station. Through the dirty windows I could see him, holding that rusty tin can.

“There I stood, an officer from a conquering army, heading home to a family and a future. There I stood, half-dressed, clutching some money which he had seen, but which I could not get to him. I wanted to help him, but couldn’t. The only comfort I draw is that I did want to help him.

“Perhaps I was scarred by the experience,” he concluded. “If so, it is a battle scar, a worthy one, for which I bear no shame. It reminds me of my duty.”¹

If that young boy survived those hardships, perhaps he made his own record of that experience. It may be that his own perception of that experience of an “enemy” trying to help him shaped his own desire to help others in need.

People really matter. In fact, there is nothing, no possession, no accolade, no position of greater value than people.

We live in a world continually torn by war in some part or another. Someone made an observation that in approximately 3,400 years of recorded history, there are only 277 years that were not touched by war.

How easily humanity forgets the value of humanity! Violence is always the result of one person or group of people attempting to hold power over another person or group of people.

There are so many systemic challenges in the world brought on because of the daily, recurrent amnesia of people and societies everywhere. When you’re comfortable and have all that you need (and want, in many cases), it’s difficult to remember the pain and suffering of others. Amnesia.

A dear friend of mine was recently diagnosed with terminal cancer. He was in the hospital for five days after receiving the news. I never went to visit him. I was too busy with my work, and I forgot.

In the dark and quiet corridors of regret, the words not spoken and love not shown echo loudest, as haunting reminders of the time we’ve lost with those we can never replace.

I forgot about a dying friend, but thankfully my opportunity to be with him during his final days have not passed.

For most of us, the societal problems are too big to effect any change at scale. Problems, however, can be resolved on a individual level by one person helping another, by one person saying no to persecuting another, by one person standing up for someone who is defenseless, by one person offering service in a way that lets someone else know they’re not alone; that they are loved.

If Boyd Packer hadn’t taken the time to record his experience, the world would never know about what took place between a military officer and a small boy on a dark, cold train platform in Japan. The impact on that boy will not likely ever be known. But hopefully Boyd’s experience resonates long and loud enough to stir our hearts to a remembrance of our duty.

While our own experiences may not be quite as dramatic as the scene painted by Boyd Packer, each of us has likely witnessed the impact a small act of kindness can have on another person.

Let’s do more of that kindness thing.