Are we immune to sights such as this?

'A picture is worth a thousand words' is an English language adage and it refers to the notion that a complex idea can be conveyed with just a single picture, more effectively than a description does. But there are pictures that give a multiple choice for you to ascertain as to what it is they are conveying and the one shown here is one of them.

The first thought that comes to mind is, why is the man sitting in the middle of the road and that too under the scorching sun? Then you begin to wonder, as your sympathy comes in to play, is he okay? Is he just resting or is he dejected because he has not been picked up to do some work, as judging by the stuff lying near him he appears to be a painter who does work on a daily basis -- a 'daily wager' as they are referred to.

Then the suspicion that he may be an addict crosses your mind and your sympathy vanishes, even though it is not known under what circumstances he may have become an addict. These days, younger persons both male and female, are being targeted by the drug mafia so that they can keep their nefarious activities going and make illegal monetary gains, so one never knows. The picture will make you think and if you are a sensitive person it will probably haunt you for some time. What eventually happened to him? Was he acting or was he really as miserable as he looked? All kinds of questions will come to mind!

Anyway, it is sad that dozens of people will pass by him and not even 'see' him, not to say anything about asking him if he is alright or if he needs help. We are known to be a charitable nation but we have also become immune to sights such as this and similarly disturbing ones, maybe because they are quite common -- children running around half naked in the cold; picking up recyclable items and even food from garbage dumps; handicapped persons begging on streets and so on.

But there are two sides to every story and there is also the factor that many hale and hearty crooks use various tricks to earn sympathy, so people may be forgiven if they act 'insensitive' at times. Many a kind soul has been taken in by these fraudulent persons.