Many of the struggles that the poor face in life are only adding to their suffering. Something recently happened in Dhaka and this has been a touch to many hearts and questions about humanity and justice raised. A railway vendor, a child trying to save some coins just to pay for his daily bread, was cheated by a passenger who not only refused to make payment for what he picked up but refused to even provide the money, to give it up for him. The boy’s desperate running along with the moving train has become a sign of the daily injustice faced by the poor.
Witnesses said a passenger bought something from a poor vendor at the railway station. The passenger refused to pay as the train was about to move. The boy, already relying on the man, scurried toward the train, begging for his money. He had scared himself as well as hoped with his little voice but was ignored by the passenger. After a while of desperate run, the boy stopped. With tears in his eyes, he said that God will do justice.
This incident illustrates the harsh reality of poverty. Vendors like this boy depend on every little sale to survive. A few coins are enough to get food, medicine or shelter for them. When someone won’t pay, it’s not just a matter of cash, it's a question of dignity and respect and survival. The poor are already on the edge and such acts of cruelty send them deeper into despair.
The boy’s “God will do justice” reflects both his faith and his helplessness. Without power, however, he believed that divine justice would prevail and he could not resist its authority. That we must be honest and compassionate as well. Deceiving poor people is both unfair and extremely immoral. No one should have less respect than anybody else, despite their financial status.
It is a wake-up call for all of us. We must treat vendors, workers and the poor simply with kindness and fairness. Paying for what we buy is at best a bare minimum and never one we can afford to skip. But extra empathy as well as support can have a huge benefit. Society is stronger when it puts protection in place for its weakest members.
Dhaka’s incident is heartbreaking, but it also highlights the principles we must follow through. Justice and compassion and humanity should guide where we go. The poor are at most already just trying to get by; they shouldn’t have to struggle for justice as well. Let us never forget this boy’s plea, that this injustice doesn’t occur again.
