This afternoon I ran up to the store to pick up some extra cooking oil for our fish fry (the kids and Grandpa slayed them yesterday) and the weather just happened to roll in while I was out. On the way home, visibility was probably about 50 meters; and as I came down the big hill to the house I saw a young man walking up the road in the pouring rain, wearing swim trunks and water shoes, so I stopped.
He walked up to the window and said that he and some friends were floating down the river when the rain arrived, so he was walking to get his truck and relieve everyone from the weather. He then asked if I could give him a ride to said truck and added that “he would do me no harm.”
It gave me a chuckle. My first thought was, “Dude, you’re the vulnerable one, if anyone is Zed in this scenario, it isn’t you.” My second thought was, “What kind of a messed up society requires a person in need to immediately and fundamentally assure someone they are not a threat?”
Needless to say, the river doth wind and he was completely confused. I gave him a ride the full 20 miles (round trip) to his truck and even found his friends. I so enjoyed seeing them all safely delivered to their transportation. The question still lingers, what kind of society requires someone in need and vulnerable to assure a good Samaritan they are not a danger?
It saddens me.
Republic, Interrupted 