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Learning Humility from the Man on the Corner

Why I resist the urge to judge so quickly when I see a person living on the street.

Sean Kernan
Age of Empathy
6 min readDec 24, 2024

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Man on the corner.
Pexels images via Elliot FZ

The siren of my alarm always kicked off a chaotic series of events. It entailed me scrambling to brush my teeth while putting my pants on with one hand, then frantically searching for my keys.

If I was lucky, I ate a handful of cereal on the way out the door. Then, I got caught in Tampa’s legendary traffic, which did me no favors. I sat in the stop-and-go line of cars, kicking myself for not waking up sooner. But this routine led to a peculiar experience.

There was an intersection just before getting to my office that always snagged me with a red light. This light seemingly came to life and smiled devilishly at me, taking his sweet time, saying, “Well, well, well, someone didn’t no how to turn their phone off last night and go to bed on time.” I often blamed all my problems on this light making me 5 minutes late, when I had only myself to blame.

One day, I noticed a man sitting to my right, just off the sidewalk, in the grass. He was a very heavy-set older man, who sat on a giant water cooler. His skin was parched and wrinkled from the constant weather exposure. He had a sullen look as he sat still, staring forward stoically.

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Age of Empathy
Age of Empathy

Published in Age of Empathy

We publish high-quality personal essays, humor essays, and writer interviews. Our goal is to provide a place for experienced writers to share authentic stories and connect with others, collectively celebrating a common passion, striving toward an age of empathy.

Sean Kernan
Sean Kernan

Written by Sean Kernan

All my articles are 100% human. No AI involved. Also, I'm a nommer. Submit to my publication Corporate Underbelly and I'll try to help you get boosted.

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