Guidance

I love watching egos, especially male, out on full display.  A great example is tourists in the City, New York.  One often finds them huddled in the middle of a busy walkway pouring over a map or two, clearly lost.  People are pouring around and through them, rushing to catch a train, grab a quick meal, or simply get from point A to B.  Stereotypes take a long time to change; it might explain the reluctance to seek guidance from something other than picture with words describing something one cannot quite imagine.
 
As I watch the unfolding repeats, I find myself wondering about the consistency in men refusing to ask directions no matter what culture nurtured their view on life.  I candidly do not understand the barrier to uttering the words, “please help”.  Yet the wall blocks old and young, Europeans and Asians, visibly wealthy and less so. 
 
At times, the cry is so loud that I cannot stand by.  The destinations are usually within reach, so help is a simple gift and response.  On other occasions, girls looking for boys, boys for girls, or someone for a particular type of restaurant in a neighborhood that specializes in everything but, the solution is not as easy.  In every case, the simple process of asking, empathizing, and sharing what one does know takes away the visible stress and tension bubbling over. 
 
As critical as I might be, I am not immune to the pattern.  I caught myself as I realized the journey I was on with a creative Japanese chef last night.  The way his art and creativity touched my life was beyond the mere act of eating and spending time with friends.  I found myself on a magical journey worthy of Gods.  I found myself realizing an old prophet’s insight; “Nobody hungry, nobody thirsty, shade from the sun, shelter from the wind, for the Compassionate One guides them, takes them to the best springs.  I'll make all my mountains into roads, turn them into a superhighway.”  (Isaiah 49.10, 11)
 
Today, you and I experience and guide.