Homeless Man Almost Acknowledged There By Fellow Human Being Walking Past

REPORTS coming in to WWN suggest that homeless man Andrew Dunleavy was almost offered the small act of kindness that is the acknowledgement that he exists.

While nestled in a doorway on a busy Dublin street, Dunleavy, a 35-year-old former labourer, nearly caught the eye of 29-year-old IT consultant Mark Barrow as he made his way to work.

Dunleavy had lost count of the number of times his gentle pleading for money towards a hostel had gone unacknowledged but welcomed the slight upturn in donations since the recent death of a homeless man in the city.

These acts of kindness from morning commuters have since evaporated for the most part as their sense of shared guilt and responsibility has reduced significantly.

Almost being acknowledged is almost as rewarding as being acknowledged, Dunlevy thought to himself not long after Barrow had rushed past. He found it hard, however, to shake the suspicion that, yes, he had actually made eye contact with Barrow.

Barrow confirmed to himself as he carried on his walk that he had indeed quickened up his walking pace and fiddled with his phone as he spotted Dunleavy. He could also confirm to himself that the horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach was as a result of knowingly making eye contact with a homeless man before trying to pretend it never happened.

This feeling soon left Barrow though, as he reminded himself that his life was of more consequence to him than that of a homeless man he sees every day on his way to work. Barrow assured himself that he was ashamed enough to have this conversation with himself proved he was an empathic individual and that it was probably best to find an alternative route to work in the future.

[mashshare]