A dose of human kindness

Some people suck and that's just a fact of life. Some people do not. Some days it seems everyone is only after their best interest. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but we do forget things in our hurry to succeed.
I'm guilty of it myself; especially in China. I practically trample people because they move slower than a tortoise. I'm always walking in a hurry; even when I have nowhere to be. That's just my pace.
However, even at a fast pace I always try to absorb my surroundings: people, buildings, vehicles, etc.
In a new city I'm always walking with my neck craned, my head tilted back and my eyes staring at others behind the tint of my sunglasses.
It's amazing the things you can see that don't suck if you just look up every now and then.
This morning I cried in the subway because I witnessed the most beautiful act of human kindness.
Getting a seat on the subway is like winning a lottery ticket. Particularly in rush hour between seven and eight a.m. and six to seven p.m. when every human in Beijing is coming or going from work.
Obviously, seats are reserved for pregnant women. In China, seats are also given up by elders to children.
In Chinese culture the children are viewed as working hardest because they go to school and lessons all day.
Let's be honest, I'll give a pregnant and an elder, of any sex, my seat, but the kids can stand or sit in mommy and daddy's lap. I may be in China but that's one culture idea I won't abide by.
So pregnant women then children then other women is pecking order for subway sitting.
Today I watched a man of about 55 give his seat to an elder.
Not just any elderly man... an elderly man I'll be kind enough to say was 80, but could quite possibly be pushing 90. Age is hard to tell because typically the Chinese age very well and many look younger than they are. However, those who spend their live sin the sun on farms, construction or road sights age more quickly, just as in any other race - the sun expedites the wrinkle process.
The 55-year-old man stood up and reached for the 80-year-old man. When the elderly man looked up, his face had years of wear. His eyes were so caved from his years of living that he appeared blind, and very well could've been.
The 55-year-old led the man to the seat and sat him down.
There was a younger, but not by much, man accompanying the 80-year-old. I assume this is his son. The son wrapped his hands around the 55-year-olds arm and with all the sincerity in the world I saw his mouth say, "xie xie." (Xie xie is thank you in Mandarin.)
In that moment several tears flow from my eyes and down my cheeks.
Any other day on the subway you can't get out of your seat before someone is sitting in your lap in their rush to have your seat next. The subway is a madhouse and sucks a bit of my soul each day. There is zero regard for personal space. People pack in the subway like salvation awaits them at the end of the ride.
Needless to say, no one budged as the entire train watched this beautiful action unfold before us. And somewhere in the midst of it all another person left the seat next to the old man unoccupied. As I got off the train, I watched the son sit by his father for the remainder of their journey.