I was leaning on a stone wall waiting for my father to come pick me up since it was a long way back to the hotel. It had rained the previous night so it was still pretty cold and moist outside. On the wet pavement across the street from me sat a homeless man. With nothing other than a jacket, blanket and cardboard box with a few coins in. I recall, ever since I was small, every time I’d go to that street in Greece we would come across this homeless man. I had had the chance to exchange smiles with him a couple times while my parents shopped, he was a good man, intelligent and with a big heart.

A few meters away lay a dog. The exact reflection of the homeless man, alone, hungry, shelterless. You could tell the puppy was sick, and probably laying right there on its deathbed, just like the man. Going by unnoticed, ignored by everyone on the streets, left there to slowly rot away.

When suddenly a well dressed young woman walks by, pretty and with a man behind holding her shopping bags. Passing the homeless man she glances down at him giving a disgusted look and continues walking not even bothering to throw a cent on his cardboard box. Then to my disbelief, she keeps walking before screeching in merriment.

“Eeeee, it's so cuteeee, Sebastian,  can we keep it?!”

“Um-“ the man behind her began, but was interrupted by the woman bending down and picking the filthy dog.
“Look at the poor thing!” she  exclaimed, “It's so cold and hungry.”

The man behind her opened his mouth again to talk, but he hesitated realizing it was pointless. The woman kept walking, now, with the dog in her hands. My eyes drifted back to the homeless man, which appeared to have seen the whole thing. He turned his head and stared me dead in the eye. Even though far away, I could make out a tear rolling down his face, clearing the filth on his face away, in its path.

I’m the type of person that feels really bad when I see things like this happen. Ever since I was small, whenever I heard stories about people with no family, no home, I would break down into tears. I guess since it broke my heart, to know not everyone was blessed with a home and family that loves them, and food on the table everyday.
But this one event, absolutely destroyed me, not because she chose the dog over the human but the fact he knew his fate and that moment of “eye contact”. I don’t know why it affected me so gravely, but it really changed my perspective. And not like it does to most people, when they say experiences like this changed them. It made me aware of what human beings are capable of, picking an animal over their own race. And not as much blinking an eye when doing this.