Every morning I put my hand on the cold metal rail, curling my fingers around it for security. But today I looked up and really saw for the first time all the hands on every inch of this bar, hundreds of fingers curling. And I thought about all the other hands that would grab this bar, this space I was holding, right after I got off. And later today. And tonight. And the spaces everyone else was holding onto.
And it dawned on me that in a way, I have held hands with a stranger every morning, never knowing who that person was who held this space on this metal bar before me. And I’ve held hands with the person after me as well. And he or she has held hands with someone else. And in the end, we are all linked, connected by this nondescript metal bar in a subway car. Think how many people have been linked in the same way. It’s like the whole world is holding hands, forming one continuous chain of human interaction.
If only this made a difference.
