Respect for Others
I often find that I am too proud of myself and too quick to dismiss the value of another human being. Here's an example. When I was in Vietnam I discovered that I could communicate very effectively even though I didn't speak the language. In Qui Nhon I asked a shop keeper for an electric converter for my father’s razor. “I don’t sell them”, he said “but my brother around the corner has them. Here’s the address.” All of this we communicated without even speaking the same language by drawing pictures and waving our hands in the air. I was very proud of myself at being so smart.

I met the man in this picture on his boat in the harbor in Hoi An. I loved his kind face and wondered how a man with such little comfort and so much hardship could remain a warm and caring human being. I tried to communicate that I wanted him to come with me so I could take his picture in front of the building across the street. I motioned that I’d be willing to pay him for his time. But the man in the boat refused to follow me. I grew increasingly frustrated with him as he continued to ignore my plea. He’s probably not as smart as I am, I thought. I’ll bet he can’t even understand sign language as I do. What a pity that I have to deal with such inferrior people, I thought.

In reality, this poor boat man was far wiser than I. As I turned to walk off , he realized that it was I who did not understand him. He graciously stood up in his boat to show me why he refused to follow..…..He only had one leg!

I photographed him in his boat instead. I was so intent on watching him through the camera that I fell off the pier and nearly dunked my favorite camera in the water. All the locals got a good laugh at the proud American who thought he knew it all!

Over time, I have learned, that I am not as special as I once believed. Seeing others as equals is a far happier way of life.