I was on my way to work on the bus this morning and there was an elderly lady in the seat in front of me. Our buses aren't big - only 20 seaters and us Yorkshire folk are a chatty bunch, so quite often there's conversation between several passengers whether friends or strangers.
She started talking about how a few months back she'd been mugged and had her pension money stolen.
To try cheer her up, a friend took her out to play bingo - and she won about £200 ($380ish). She said how she'd given a small amount to each of her grankids - but it would seem that one of them was a little careless about who they told that their gran had some cash. A couple of days later, this poor lady was burgled - they weren't content to 'just' take the money, they beat her up as she lay in her bed. She still has scarring, probably permanent, under one of her eyes.
Both of these happened within the space of a week.
It made me so angry and sad. This lady will have worked most of her life - since age 14, probably in the textile mills - a dirty and dangerous job until relatively recently. She's lived through a war and hardship. Now has little to live on except the pittance they call a pension - and for what? To be abused by young thugs who think everything in this world is theirs for the taking.
The most poignant part of all this was that the radio was playing in the background and the song was 'Where is the Love?' by the Black Eyed Peas.
It has quite lengthy lyrics so I won't post them all here, just the verse that 'says it all':
I feel the weight of the world on my shoulder
As I'm gettin' older, y'all, people gets colder
Most of us only care about money makin'
Selfishness got us followin' the wrong direction
Wrong information always shown by the media
Negative images is the main criteria
Infecting the young minds faster than bacteria
Kids wanna act like what they see in the cinema
Yo', whatever happened to the values of humanity
Whatever happened to the fairness in equality
Instead in spreading love we spreading animosity
Lack of understanding, leading lives away from unity
That's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' under
That's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' down
There's no wonder why sometimes I'm feelin' under
Gotta keep my faith alive til love is found
Now ask yourself
Where is the love
Where is the love
Where is the love
Where is the love
Father, father, father help us
Send some guidance from above
'Cause people got me, got me questionin'
Where is the love (love)
