Sleeping Stranger

[Jessie Fong]

It's getting late, you have had a long and tiring day, the train is crowded, you close your eyes for a while -- then, you start nodding off. Next thing you know, you are fast asleep, leaning on someone's shoulder.  It belongs to a stranger.

What would you do if you were the stranger?

This is what happened when a young man slept on  Isaac Theil's shoulder:

This man has it.

When Isaac Theil let a sleepy stranger take a little catnap on his shoulder, it was because "I simply remembered the times my own head would bop on someone’s shoulder because I was so tired after a long day," he recounted to Tova Ross of Tablet Magazine.

Another subway rider was so struck by Theil's nonchalant empathy that he snapped a picture and put it on Reddit, from which it was then posted to Facebook by Charidy.

Redditor Braffination wrote, "Heading home on the Q train yesterday when this young black guy nods off on the shoulder of a Jewish man. The man doesn't move a muscle, just lets him stay there. After a minute, I asked the man if he wanted me to wake the kid up, but he shook his head and responded, 'He must have had a long day, let him sleep. We've all been there, right?'"

Theil himself has been completely surprised at the attention he's received for his small act of kindness, as the photo has been shared over 20,000 times on Facebook.

[Tenzin K]

It's quite common incident happening around but for Isaac Theil it’s an experience that he would want to offer kindness for others. I believe a lot of people will never thought of this way.

Kindness is one of the most basic qualities we can possess, and one of the most powerful. In Buddhism is it called a metta - an opening of the heart to all we meet. Any friendly feeling contains the kernel of metta. It is a seed that is waiting to be developed, right here amidst the conditions of our daily life.

Living with Kindness is a pithy commentary on the Buddha's teaching of metta in the Karaniya Metta Sutta. In it, Sangharakshita, a teacher of Buddhism for over fifty years, shows us how to cultivate many of the facets of kindness in ordinary, everyday life. Outlining the nurturing conditions the seed of kindness needs to grow, he encourages us to follow the path that leads to a warm and expansive heart - and beyond. And with that heart, we can be happier and more fulfilled in ourselves and empathise with the joys and sufferings of all living beings.

[Matibhadra]

What is always amazing is how much non-Jews gullibly swallow the systematic Jewish self-promoting propaganda, aimed at portraying themselves as a compassionate, peace-loving people, while in action and thought behind the worst atrocities against humankind.

Did you perceive that the guy really pretends not to perceive that he is being photographed?

[kris]

This reminds me of the time when I was young where I did a lot of commute on buses and trains. Sometimes there are strangers who would sleep on my shoulder, and I am sure at times, I sleep on them too At that time, I sometimes let them sleep on my solder, but at times I would try to wake them up. Obviously I am not kind..

What Isaac was doing is really an act of kindness. He would think of others first before himself. I wish there would be a website or facebook page where people can post photos of "sleeping strangers"

[Jessie Fong]

This reminds me of the time when I was young where I did a lot of commute on buses and trains. Sometimes there are strangers who would sleep on my shoulder, and I am sure at times, I sleep on them too At that time, I sometimes let them sleep on my solder, but at times I would try to wake them up. Obviously I am not kind..

What Isaac was doing is really an act of kindness. He would think of others first before himself. I wish there would be a website or facebook page where people can post photos of "sleeping strangers"

I remember nodding off when commuting on public transport but was not fortunate enough to have a friendly shoulder to lie on. Neither was there anyone who needed my shoulder to lean on.

I guess my shoulder was not comfortable enough?

[bambi]

Its really heartwarming to see or read about such kind acts. How nice to see such a kind act but the best part was when he answered  'He must have had a long day, let him sleep. We've all been there, right?'
How thoughtful is that?

Even something as easy as opening the door or saying thank you is really something most of us should do without thinking twice or hesitating. A good way to practice kindness...

[RedLantern]

This was such an incredible thing to witness:authentic and unbiased compassion in action!When I hear stories of kindness being done to others,I am inspired to do the same.I think most of us are like that.We need each other's inspiration as we travel life's highways,trying to figure it all out.They make us better people.
If we start with simple act of kindness ,we will instinctively want to do more.We just need to remember that no act of kindness is too small.Each one makes the world a better place.

[Manjushri]

A small act of kindness can go a long way. I guess why it picked up such attention was that maybe people are not used to that kind of act, or invasion of personal space, I guess. Most people would probably push away the head of a stranger off their shoulders... afraid that they themselves might be on the losing end. If everyone was so accepting towards one another, the world would be a better place.

It is nice to stumble upon stories like this once in a while... there are kind people everywhere. Just whether we have the fate to meet them or not. Thanks for this post!

[DS Star]

What is always amazing is how much non-Jews gullibly swallow the systematic Jewish self-promoting propaganda, aimed at portraying themselves as a compassionate, peace-loving people, while in action and thought behind the worst atrocities against humankind.

Did you perceive that the guy really pretends not to perceive that he is being photographed?

jspitangga, seems to me you have anger in you, particularly towards Americans and Jewish.

I read your posts in this forum and concluded that you come with your own agenda to propagate your idea and mission.

In your posts, it is very very obvious you will aim your attacks towards US and its so-called allies. Every topic or issue will be turned into your campaign to generate hatred towards Americans and Jewish in this case. There are so much hatred in your posts.

May you be able to find love and peace in your heart, Om Mani Pedme Hum.

[Matibhadra]

jspitangga, seems to me you have anger in you, particularly towards Americans and Jewish.

Funny, the education I received from my parents is such that, when I address someone, specially someone I have never talked to before, I greet this person beforehand. Just calling the person by the name (let alone distorting it), as one would call an animal, not only is rather unpolite, but even suggests some degree of aggression from the side of the caller. It does not cost a lot, usually a simple “Hi” is more than enough.

The other funny thing here is that you do not show any concern with the correctness, or lack thereof, of any of my expressed views, but only with my supposed personal motivation, which you perceive as “anger”. If you think that any of my views are incorrect, please show why you think so, and I will be grateful and give you an objective  and sincere answer, whether or not I agree with you.

Now, if you only try to bash and demean my supposed motivation, without even caring to examine the validity of any of my statements, this is tantamount to a mere ad-hominem attack, which would hardly deserve an answer.

Therefore, I invite you to rethink your approach, and to freely criticize whatever you find wrong in any of my statements, while refraining from hasty, unwarranted and needless personal judgments about my supposed motivation, and I will be happy to discuss whatever criticism you may offer in an impartial and civilized way.

[DS Star]

If this picture shows a white young man sleeping on the shoulder of another white man or a black man slept on the shoulder of another black man, then it is perceived as "normal" and a simple act of kindness towards a stranger, it will not become a "news".

In reality it is just a simple act of kindness. It is not something very unusual, only that in current situation and modern days, there is too much of suspicious towards strangers. We are becoming too scared to make any contact with people we don't know, let alone to show any form of kindness.

Then there are people like jspitangga who has so much hatred and anger, will see everything as politically-motivated and thus the comment: "systematic Jewish self-promoting propaganda, aimed at portraying themselves as a compassionate, peace-loving people, while in action and thought behind the worst atrocities against humankind."

I believe Isaac Theil is just another simple Jewish man happens to show a small kindness to a stranger. Nothing much.

Just like this kind Pakistani Muslim shop owner who forgave the robber. He is just another kind simple Muslim man.

http://youtu.be/r38-yj8wqiw
	Small | Large

It is very sad that we choose to live our lives in so much suspicious, worries, discrimination, jealousy, hatred and selfishness.

Just like us, everyone wants happiness. Why can't we promote harmony and peace instead of creating more hatred and prolong the pains and sufferings?

[Matibhadra]

Then there are people like jspitangga who has so much hatred and anger, will see everything as politically-motivated and thus the comment: "systematic Jewish self-promoting propaganda, aimed at portraying themselves as a compassionate, peace-loving people, while in action and thought behind the worst atrocities against humankind."

While our previous conversation established me as your interlocutor and the intended recipient of your message, now you refer to me in the third person. This is a bit like talking to someone while not being able to look directly in his or her eyes, and also a well known defensive, and rather unproductive, tactics aiming at putting down the interlocutor.

Also, one interesting way of depreciating a hated person, high or low, is to change or distort his or her name. For instance, Dorje Shugden haters distort his name calling him depreciatively as “Dholgyal”. Therefore, it would be interesting to ascertain your motivation, or why you insist on distorting my name, repeatedly writing it as “jspitangga” instead of “jspitanga”.

I believe that an honest and sincere discussion depends above everything else on one's motivation and attitude. How could one ever claim to promote peace and harmony, let alone the practice of Dorje Shugden, while not subduing one's own aggression towards one's interlocutor?

Therefore, dear DS Star, may I reiterate my previous invitation, so that in a balanced, respectful, and civilized way, without resorting to needless puerile defensive tactics, you explain why do you believe that my quoted statement, or any other statement of mine to that effect, is somehow wrong or inaccurate.

[metta girl]

It"s good to always have a shoulder to lean on whenever we are tired or unhappy .So i dont mind lending my shoulders but still we have to check if the stranger do it on purpose or with a bad motivation or else ,an act of kindness should have no barrier.No matter that stranger is black or white

[Matibhadra]

So i dont mind lending my shoulders but still we have to check if the stranger do it on purpose or with a bad motivation

So true. But, to be impartial, those lending their shoulders may also do it on purpose or with a bad motivation; therefore we have to check.

To sum up, one thing is to be compassionate, another completely different is fall for a cheap propaganda trick.

[Q]

Hmm... reminds me of an episode I watched on WWYD

WWYD - No Shoes! No Shirt! No Pants! No Service! A Homeless Man Is Thrown Out	Small | Large

of course it's harder to fake on video and on a staged situation compared to a photograph. Besides, who would have thought lending your shoulder to a stranger would gain you such attention... it is a fairly common thing, we've all have been there one way or another.