What just happened? [View All]

I pulled into a gas station today and as I was filling up, a man was searching through
the trash next to the gas pump. I saw him pull out a couple of empty soda cans. This man didn't
look unkept and his clothes were clean. He even had a red Columbia jacket on. As I finished
filling the tank, I made eye contact with the guy and said hello.

I don't know how to describe what happened when our eyes met--but it punched a hole in my world.
He looked so dispondent and depressed...worn out. It rocked me.

He moved to the next trash can beside the pumps in the next lane. As I returned to my car,
a woman drove up to that pump. She looked at the man rummaging through the trash, looked
at me and rolled her eyes. I noticed she had a child in a car seat, in the backseat of her
car. I gave her the benefit of the doubt, and assumed that her eye rolling was mainly out
of fear or uncertainty about this trash-digging man, who would only be a few feet from her.

I circled my car around and went into the convenience store, withdrew $20 and went outside and
found the man looking into the trash can next to the front doors. I asked him if it was ok if I gave
him the money. He choked out the words, "Oh God...you have no idea. Thank you" and he
walked away. I returned to my car and noticed him opening the trunk of the car next to me--putting
away the sack of soda cans he had collected.

As I pulled away, I noticed--the car was a BMW.

I don't know what just happened. What DID just happen? Was this someone who had done well for a
long time, but was now so dispondent and destitute that a few dollars from collecting cans was necessary to survive?

I don't know what to make of this. I am still upset. I live in an upper-middle class suburb in the midwest.

What is going on in this country?