Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover

27 Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover Walk downtown in most large cities and you'll see many homeless people. They live on the street and often beg for money. Their clothes are dirty, and sometimes they're wild and scary. When I walk in this part of a city, I avoid any contact with these people. I don't look them in the eyes. If they were normal people, they would get off the streets, clean themselves up and get a job, right? Well, I learned a valuable lesson about homeless people today. I saw a story on the TV news that made me change the way I think about them. The story was about a 44-year-old homeless man who had been living on the streets in Winnipeg for more than seven years. His favourite hangout was along the banks of the Red River. The water runs fast in this river, and the ice had recently broken up, so it was cold and dangerous.

A young boy lost his footing and fell into the cold and treacherous water. There were many people around. They called for help, but no one was willing to jump in the water. But when the homeless man saw the boy, he didn't hesitate. He immediately jumped in and brought the boy safely back to shore. Everyone was amazed by this dirty, unkempt man. The mayor of the city came to speak with him, and later gave him the keys to the city. People brought him food and clothes and offered him shelter. Everyone said he was a hero. No one else had the courage to jump in to save the boy, but this homeless man was different. When the television reporter asked him why he did it, he said he didn't think about it. He just jumped in to help. It was simple to him. “ When a fellow human needs help, you help, " he said. When they asked him what gift they could give to him, his reply hit me really hard. He said, “ My father lives way up north. I would be happy if you could help me travel there to see him one final time. " What was my valuable lesson? Don't judge a book by its cover.