Embracing Humanity’s Inherent Worth
At the end of World War II, a young man named Boyd Packer was stationed in Japan. In a war-torn country, this young man’s experience was not likely unique, but his own observations about the experience are what captured my attention. He said:
“I boarded a train in Osaka for Yokohama and a ship that would take me home. . . . It was a very chilly night. The railroad station, what there was left of it, was very cold. Starving children were sleeping in the corners. That was a common sight in Japan in those days. The fortunate ones had a newspaper or a few old rags to fend off the cold.
“In the bleak, chilly hours of the dawn, the train stopped at a station along the way. I heard a tapping on the window and raised the blind. There on the platform stood a little boy tapping on the window with a tin can. I knew he was one of the orphans and a beggar; the tin can was the symbol of their suffering. Sometimes they carried a spoon as well, as if to say, ‘I am hungry; feed me.’
“When I saw him and he saw that I was awake, he waved his can. He was begging. In pity, I thought, ‘How can I help him?’ Then I remembered. I had money, Japanese money. I quickly groped for my clothing and found some yen notes in my pocket. I tried to open the window, but it was stuck. I slipped on my trousers and hurried to the end of the car. He stood outside…
