Selling Pencils On Fifth Avenue

Selling Pencils On Fifth Avenue

Claire Piekarski

The average American will walk down a street, head tucked down, eyes straight ahead, feet moving quickly, without giving their surroundings a second glance. A few may stop to tie a shoe or buy a paper. And an even fewer number will notice those who walk beside them whether they be white, black, crippled, or of good-health. Not to say this can be applied to all Americans, there are some that are very generous and try to do good in their community. However, living in a world as fast- paced as ours is today it is becoming increasingly more difficult to take time out for the less fortunate. As years pass we come up with more and more excuses for why we cannot be out there helping others who need it. It's a very sad fact but unfortunately it's the truth.

In the famous picture, "Selling Pencils on Fifth Avenue" a blind man stands in the middle of a crowded street holding a sign that indicates that he is disabled and would like you to buy a pencil to help him out. In this picture there are many people that breeze by without even noticing the blind man. All of these people are probably on their way to work and in too much of a "rush" to help the blind man. That's the problem with Americans, we're always in a rush to get somewhere. That's our excuse for a lot of things. We're always on the go, doing something far more important than donating to the less fortunate. If everyone in this country could take five minutes out of their busy day everyday to do something good for their community the world would be a much better place. But, this is almost impossible to conceive when we live in our fast-paced country.

There is one woman in the photograph who does take the time to put some change in the man's cup. However, examine her body language. She is not smiling let alone looking at the man. She must feel some sort of sympathy for the man but she obviously views him as nothing more than a cripple. She may feel as if she is doing her part in the community but how much is fifty cents going to help the man in the long run. The least she could do is offer him condolences or wish him luck with his sale. But it is apparent in this picture that the woman wants to give her money and continue on with her busy day. What is it that we're doing with our lives that's more important than making a difference in our world? We carry on with our day-to-day jobs to make a living but in the end how much of a difference are we really making? Human beings are our greatest source of information and knowledge yet we hardly ever take advantage of this. Talking to a stranger can teach you things that you might never encounter in school let alone everyday life. Listening is a brilliant thing yet today we tend to forget to do this. We nod and "uh-huh", but do we ever really listen to each other? Hardly, but it's time that more Americans slow down and appreciate this world for the people here. And not just the good ones, appreciate the criminals, appreciate the enemy, appreciate everything and you'll have a