Unwitting Underground Conversations

At the Los Angles subway station I was a bit confused on how to use the app on my phone to access the subway station.  Unfortunately none of the commuters I approached were willing to talk to me and they would rush away from me assuming I was one of the thousands of "homeless" people who throng the subway asking passerbys for a "donation".  Fortunately a Chinese looking gentleman finally helped me figure out how to use the mobile app to access the station.

While waiting for the train we got talking.  His name was Chang and he told me that before he became a US citizen he used to work in an investment bank in Singapore.  He is now retired and lives on his investment portfolio.  He seemed a bit too scruffy to be a retired investment banker - but I thought that was an eccentricity that comes with age.  He told me he spends most of his time doing social work in the church.  

Surprisingly he seemed knowledgeable about Indian companies, and he sought my investment advice about Indian companies as apparently he had some surplus funds to invest.

Meanwhile the subway train arrived, and I suggested that we both board it and continue our conversation on the train.  But he said it is quite noisy in the train, and requested me whether we could skip this train and take the next train so that we can finish the conversation.  Having found a kindred soul I agreed and we got into a rigorous discussion on what sectors will give good investment returns - from hydrogen energy to speciality bio-chemicals to genetic engineering.  

The next train came and I started moving towards it.  But Chang said that as we have not yet finished the conversation can we wait for the next train? 

But by now we had spoken so much I had reached an end to my knowledge of potential investment sectors.  So I told him I was in a bit of a hurry and had to rush.   

I boarded the train expecting him to also board the train.  But when I looked back Chang was busy rummaging through a garbage bin on the platform.  As the train pulled away from the station I noticed he had found a half filled beer can from the garbage bin and was drinking from it with great relish. 

I realised with a start that it was a homeless person that I was having a very intellectual conversation with for the last 30 minutes! 

I did not know whether to laugh or cry.  I was initially upset that I was fooled into wasting half an hour. And then I started laughing at myself - he had fooled me totally with his intellectual disposition.  

And then I started introspecting as to what misfortune or adverse circumstances could have pushed such a person into a "homeless" state.

May be for him the 30 minutes he spent talking with me was a "short return to normalcy" - where someone treated him like an equal and with respect.  May be that is the reason why he never asked me for a "donation".  And his need for self respect and being treated with dignity was probably what made him so keen to hold on to me and continue the conversation.

I see it as pure divine intervention. God made me unwittingly repay a debt to humanity by spending time with someone who needed that conversation, and with whom (pardon my arrogance) I would not have normally interacted with in this manner. May be it is God's way of warning me to be humble - forcing me to acknowledge the fickleness of fame and fortune - and making me so thankful and grateful for His continued blessings.