U8 The kindness of strangers

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The kindness of strangers

One summer, the author passed by a hitchhiker who had his thumb

out and held a gas can in his other hand in the desert. With the criminal

rate rising, “I don’t want to get involved” has become a national motto.

This experience set him thinking of a trip to find out whether people

could still rely on the kindness of strangers.

In author’s 37 ages, he set out a journey from coast to coast without

any money. In 6 weeks, he got 82 free rides and covered 4223 miles cross

14 states. During his trip, he found people were generally compassionate

and he was treated with kindness wherever he went. For instance, one day

in Nebraska two old ladies picked up him and told him she’d rather risk

her life than feel bad about passing a stranger on the side of the road. A

trucker picked up him though the trucker was once robbed at knifepoint

by a hitchhiker. And what he found most touching was the fact that

people all did it as a matter of course. In Jamestown, an executive

director invited him to spend the night in his house but they rarely

entertained strangers. And the director’s wife invited the author to talk to

her class about his trip. A patriotic tone ran through the talks he gave that

afternoon. And he regained faith in his country and realized that, in spite

of everything, you can still rely on the kindness of strangers.