An Act of Kindness

I don't know if you either heard of this incident or remember it, but last year a camerawoman from Hungary kicked and tripped Syrian immigrants running across a field.  She kicked at a man, actually connected with the leg of a young girl (she looks to be around 10 years old), and then tripped a man carrying a child, causing the man to fall on top of the boy.

The footage of her behavior made the rounds on media, she got fired immediately, and now the Hungarian government is indicting her.

But that's not what this post is about.

You see, Miguel Ángel Galán in Spain watched this clip and looked into who was tripped.  He learned that the migrant man with the child is Osama Abdul Mohsen, and that Abdul Mohsen was a soccer coach in Syria.

In an act of kindness, Miguel Galán offered Abdul Mohsen a job at his school, Cenafe Academy.  Shortly thereafter, Abdul Mohsen and his two sons arrived in Spain, a job available to support a work visa and refuge promised by the Spanish government.

Amidst all the hate, racism, alcohol-fueled crimes, election muckracking, chemical weapons, and international strife, one man decided he could make a difference and help out.  Mind you, in the grand scheme of things, offering a job to one Syrian refugee and his family amounts to very little.  But for that one man, it changes the world.

So many times, I look around and feel helpless to do anything.  I see problems with the basic structure of American society, with the Syrian crisis, with how our government works, and I get depressed.  Sometimes I think I know what to do to fix, well, something.  But I don't have the power to accomplish these big changes.

At times like that, I remind myself that it is possible to help out.  That there are good and kind people in the world, and that as long as we have hope, we haven't lost.

I hope you have a wonderful day.