This Is Why Jesus Doesn't Ride The Train...
"The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference." - Elie Wiesel
Every day I commute to and from NYC.
It is a necessary evil.
The thought of commuting back and forth is actually a lot worse than the deed itself.
For the last 62 days, I've been reading the Bible during my morning commute. Alternating between the Old and New Testaments.
Don't ask me why. I'm not really sure myself.
However, I have gained a heightened awareness of people and the way they treat one another.
I'm not a religious person, nor am I a Christian but it's pretty plain to see that Jesus was on to something.
Something very simple.
Love.
L.O.V.E.
John Lennon got it. Even The Captain and Tennille knew that love would keep us together.
So what the fuck?
Oops. Sorry Jesus. Still working on the potty mouth.
Tonight on my commute home, my train got stuck a few stops short of my town.
No biggie. When you've been riding mass transit for half of your life, you get used to the delays.
Who gives a shit anyway?
Damn. Sorry Jesus.
I have a smartphone full of games and the entire Lifehouse discography to keep me occupied.
Inevitably the masses get restless, cellphones start dialing and there is a brash murmur of gossip that makes its way through the train car.
Fat Man - "I don't know what's happening. I'll let you know as soon as I hear."
Bald Man - "What else is new? There's always something with this train."
Woman With Smelly Hair - "All they have to do is drive the train. You'd think that they..."
"Attention passengers. We apologize for the delay. We have just been informed that the train has struck a pedestrian and we are being held at this station until Emergency Service arrives. We apologize for the inconvenience."
The entire car lets out a groan filled with disappointment.
Fat Man - "Ugh! They just said that some asshole got hit by the train."
Bald Man - "Figures this happens on my train. I've had the worst day."
Woman With Smelly Hair - "You have to be kidding me. Are they serious?"
I just want to say thank you to Jesus and to Lifehouse for putting me in the right frame of mind today, because for some reason, I might have been the only person on the train that didn't think this incident was all about me.
Hey! Fat, Bald and Smelly! (Remember, I'm not a Christian, so I can still judge people.)
Yes YOU!
Didn't you hear the announcement? A person was struck by the train. Our train. Does that mean anything to you?
How could this not mean anything to you?
There is a bloody, mangled, possibly decapitated body under our train.
No wait.
There is a bloody, mangled, possibly decapitated somebody's brother or friend or daddy under our train. Did you for one millisecond stop to consider who the person is? Is he or she OK?
IS THERE AN EMPATHY IN THE HOUSE?
I guess not.
God damn, heartless, animals.
Shit. I did it again. Sorry Jesus.
This is why Jesus doesn't ride the train. It's also probably why he doesn't read my blog.
Eventually the train was taken out of service and we were asked to evacuate. I guess it's easier to scrape human flesh off of the tracks sans passengers. Protocol I'm sure.
After a contemplative trip to the Diner across the street and an empathetic plate full of French Toast and Bacon, my beautiful wife and daughters came to my rescue. All of them outfitted in their finest PJ's.
Out-Numbered - Thanks for rescuing me guys!
Wife - Anytime.
8 Year Old - Daddy, are you OK?
Out-Numbered - Yes baby. I'm fine.
8 Year Old - Mommy said someone got hit by the train.
Out-Numbered - That's what they said.
4 Year Old - Did the person get hurt?
Out-Numbered - I hope not sweetheart. But maybe.
8 Year Old - Did the person die?
Out-Numbered - I don't know baby. They didn't tell us.
4 Year Old - Was it a boy or a girl?
Out-Numbered - I'm not sure.
4 Year Old - Are they going to die?
Out-Numbered - I really don't know honey. I'm sorry.
8 Year Old - I'm so glad you're OK daddy. I was scared you got hurt.
Out-Numbered - I'm fine baby.
In the Old Testament, right there on the first few pages it says, "God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him." It then goes on to say, "And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good."
Someone once told me that every day starts out perfectly. I guess it's the same with people...
Sorry Jesus.
awesome post thanks jason! ed
ReplyDeleteOh man, that is so damn horrible for who ever it was who was struck by the train.
ReplyDeleteHorrible.
And mass transit sucks. It brings out the worst in people. Or maybe it just allows us to see people as they really are. Horrible little shitheads.
Sorry Jesus.
Holy fuck. Seriously? They can't stop for a second and think this isn't about them? Eesh. Sad.
ReplyDeleteI'm only a little sorry, Jesus. I mean, you know this shit's not right, right? You didn't go up to the moneychangers and say "Golly gee wilikers, guys, this isn't so dandy. I'd be ever so gratified if you'd stop being so self-centered." Right?
People. Sigh.
My daughter moved to boston for school in the fall. People don't take trains in Orange County so the whole mass transit thing was new to her. One of her first attempts on the east coast trains was the exact same experience you had. The train hit a pedestrian, they were taken off the train, etc. She was horrified, upset, traumatized ... and said the same thing. Everyone else seemed to just be bothered by the inconvenience. I feel like I've now heard the exact same story twice. Ugh!
ReplyDeleteWhen God created the world it was good, then man sinned and made it a fallen world. All men are wretched, selfish, and depraved until they are saved by repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Christians are then still quite imperfect, but they are trying a lot harder to obey the teachings of Jesus and when they falter, their sins are covered by grace.
ReplyDeleteI pray the pedestrian is ok.
Seems to me that perhaps Jesus was on the train, sitting next to you.
ReplyDeleteLooks like your girls were looking thru the right lens huh?
ReplyDeleteThat says a lot bro...As for the squawking sardines I am thinking of Three Dog Night
"How can people be so heartless? How can people be so cruel? Easy to be hard..."
I can't believe that their reaction was so callous - so selfish!
ReplyDeleteI was on a train with my daughters once which was waiting for ages, and eventually they told us that we were delayed because of an incident where a passeger had been hit by a train in front of us. No details about how they were or which station.
We all sat there feeling sad - and full of patience. So what if we were stuck in the train? Something awful had happened to someone and we were happy to wait it out.
I know we weren't rushing somewhere, so being late was a relative thing but still. I can't get over that callous response from your fellow commuters!
Love this post. And you for having it here when I stopped by today. Pretty sure JC would think you were a cool guy. ;)
ReplyDeleteJason, your posts are the only ones I read word for word...and I'm always glad I did!
ReplyDeleteafter you called me and i got over my initial annoyance that you'd be late, i thought jay is coming home late but it could have been worse! i'll save you anytime! YUV!!!
ReplyDeleteBrilliant post... and although not religious I think JC will have read your post and approved..
ReplyDeleteNothing like when the little ones worry about you. And for the record, it's quite possible that if G_D had been on that train he would've been all, "Son OF A Fuck! I'm late for a hair appointment!"
ReplyDeleteHe's pretty vain. It's right there in the Old Testament.
Great post! I more than likely wouldn't have been able to keep my mouth shut and would have told those whiners to have a little respect.
ReplyDeleteDon't assume Jesus or one of his inspectors wasn't on that train. That could well have been a test for everyone else. Years from now they'll be pleading their case at the pearly gates and St Peter will flip to their page "Remember that day your train hit somebody? Remember what a douche you were?"
ReplyDeleteI loved this story.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to know that someone out there still has a little humanity left in them.
Ya know, I read a bumper sticker once, said: "If more people actually read the bible, there would be more atheists"...just saying...glad u r ok...and those others? Karma Dude, Karma!
ReplyDeleteI totally believe in what BellaDaddy said; for every action or thought whether selfish or empathetic, something equal comes back at you. Call it Karma, call it God watching, call it Fate......whatever.... you've got good things coming your way starting with your wonderful, caring family.
ReplyDelete"We've just been informed the train stuck a pedestrian?" Didn't the driver of the train figure it out himself? Holy shit, bro. Thank God for Lifehouse.
ReplyDeleteJay, long time since I've visited and commented. This was absolutely spot-on (to sound British for a second). This is why you are are so good at what you do. Miss you, bro. We didn't get to hang before I split town. Next time I'm there I'll try to catch up with you.
ReplyDeleteFive words: What a bunch of assholes.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if I could have kept my mouth shut with those selfish douches. Which is why it's probably a good thing I don't travel mass transit..I'd be getting in fistfights every day. I think Jesus probably wouldn't approve.
Beautifully written.
ReplyDelete(I don't think Jesus should mind the potty mouth when your heart is in the right place. heehee)
I'm so glad I visited your blog today. Great message, but I think Jesus would ride the train. Apparently that's where a lot of asshats hang out.
ReplyDeleteGlad you're ok, hope the pedestrian is as well.
Or quite possibly, in that moment in time, YOU were the one bearing Jesus on that train . . .
ReplyDeleteYeah, I weep for our species sometime. My less dramatic but similar experience came at one of my son Ryan's baseball games. In warm ups, Ryan lost a fly ball in the sun and it cracked him right above his eye. I'd only been half paying attention, so when I looked out to the field, I couldn't immediately tell which kid was lying on the grass bleeding. After assessing the rest of the team (those still standing), I was able to determine that yes, it was Ryan on the ground. At that point, a woman behind us said, "Ah, it's not my kid, who cares?"
ReplyDeleteMy daughter, who was 11 at the time, turned around and said, "Hey, it's my brother, lady, so why don't you just shut up?"
I've never been so proud.
I think that has less to do with religion vs. assholes than the faceless modern society we live in. If the same people from the train were sitting at home and saw this news story on TV and heard the interview of the grieving wife, there would be tears in their eyes. It isn't that they are heartless. It is just -- in this context, this guy was just an obstacle to getting home. Because he is out of sight and out of mind, he is scarcely thought of at all as a human being. You were able to be a better man by focusing on the human story, even though it wasn't presented to you on the TV screen or newspaper as a clear narrative. You didn't know the true story of this guy, but it didn't really matter. You instinctively knew that he had loved ones somewhere, and even if he didn't, he still was a human being who was hurt, or just killed. This is an insight that should come to everyone, Bible-reading or not.
ReplyDeleteGreat little story.
Jesus is a lot happier with you, your wife and your kids than the people on the train.
ReplyDeleteI once heard a story - maybe apocryphal - about a woman who was in a car accident and was clinically dead for a few minutes. She had an out-of-body experience. Saw the line of traffic the accident had caused and heard the negative comments and vibrations from everyone pissed off because their commute was delayed. Then there was one car with a vibration of light and prayer, praying the person in the accident was safe, would live and heal. If it were not for that prayer, she would have made the transition to the next world. Instead she came back to her body. The Christian journey is to find the Christ in self and others. Jesus was pretty clear about that. Church goers and clergy don't have a special "in" or even special knowledge.You and your family were the voices of the Christ.
ReplyDeleteBrook Packard
Enjoyable post! Loved the thoughts it portrayed, even if it was a bit of a diamond in the rough.
ReplyDeleteSorry, I don't put up with potty mouths. :)
But you're a talented writer!
hot damn, this is gorgeous. too bad Fat, Bald and Smelly probably don't read your blog either. They should. Maybe they'd grow into humans.
ReplyDeleteI just read the comments and decided there are plenty of good and kind-hearted souls out there.
ReplyDeleteYou were planted there at that point of time on purpose. "Everything happens for a reason".
Crazy situation. Prayers going up for the pedestrian. Jesus looks at the heart and yours was in the right place.
ReplyDeleteWow, Jason, this was a pretty surprising post from you all around. Great post. Enjoyed reading it.
ReplyDeleteI can't say it surprises me that people were less concerned with the possibly mangled person and more upset about the delay in their commute. This was really profound, though. We should all appreciate our lives and the lives of others more.
ReplyDeleteI need to read the Bible a bit more. I kind of like Jesus. It's his followers who tend to give the whole thing a bad rap.
ReplyDeleteLove this. Thank you for writing it.
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I searched FB and then Google for "Jesus was on to something" thinking it might be a common religious view. It is not. It is hardly ever used in a sentence. It seems most people either buy Jesus's message whole hog or ignore it completely. So your post was about #6 in the list of hits that came back. What a great story. I loved it; loved everything about it. One too many sorry Jesuses maybe, but really, really good. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI searched FB and then Google for "Jesus was on to something" thinking it might be a common religious view. It is not. It is hardly ever used in a sentence. It seems most people either buy Jesus's message whole hog or ignore it completely. So your post was about #6 in the list of hits that came back. What a great story. I loved it; loved everything about it. One too many sorry Jesuses maybe, but really, really good. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete