I personally do not believe in World Peace, and it's horrible but true. I think humans can not live together peacefully. Yet, I do believe they can come close enough if they try hard. I do believe that humans while inherently evil have extreme capacities for compassion. One thing I absolutely detest that humans do all too frequently is stick their noses in other people's business. For example, people and their sexualities. In my opinion it is only that individual's business and no one else's. On that note I was extremely touched and yet disturbed by humans this other morning.

I am infamous for last minute shopping, or really early bird shopping. At 6:30 in the morning I entered the store with the idea of a list, but being the Optimistic Pessimist I didn't think they would have exactly what I wanted, so why bother with a real list?

Anyway, as I walked down the aisle I happened to see a cute couple standing there in the middle of the aisle holding hands. It was two boys, a gay couple, and they looked so happy together I couldn't help but smile at them as I walked past and they grinned at me. It was so sweet that I was still smiling as I meandered down the Dairy aisle.

Pondering which I'd rather have, the yogurt or the cereal, I suddenly heard loud voices. Being me, which means an insatiable curiosity and a fellow avid arguer, I promptly decided I needed something from whatever aisle that was from.

Peeking around the corners I finally found the source, and instantly was enraged and saddened by the sight. An old man with a beyond faded T-shirt with the sleeves cut off, and sporting a sun burned farmer's dress, with a face redder than a tomato was shouting at the couple I had just passed. They looked a cross between angry, afraid, and nervous. The man was shouting words I daren't repeat so offensive were they.

One of the two boys had stepped bravely in front of the other as a sort of protection in case the Bear went rabid. This was happening in seconds really, and before I made it down the aisle, my belief in human compassion was restored.

The store manager was bearing down the aisle, hoofing it threateningly, which was no small job, as his size was large. At first I thought he meant the couple harm, but I realized seconds later he was out for the real bad guy. The man who had accosted the boys about their sexuality and how they were bringing America down, was a smooth talker, but the manager truly took the situation in hand, and saw it as it was.

The man was asked to leave, and the boys were given a $100 dollar gift card each. I was never prouder of anyone else in my life. And the couple was courteous about the whole situation.

There were little details more, but I was so touched by the broadness of the subject and not the little details.

In most cases the people who would have been punished, were the ones wronged. Homosexuals are normal people too. It's not fair for them to be punished unjustly because of their sexuality. People who are different get treated different and that is unjust. I have seen similar cases and read about many more, and it's always the victim who gets punished. But not this time. This time a person judged the situation accurately and punished the "bad guy." It made my day. Yes, people are evil, but little stories like this remind me that they are also extremely Compassionate, and there is reason to put faith in Humanity. This is saying a lot, considering I am a very optimistic obsessive compulsive pessimist.

There are details I still wonder though about the story. Who called the manager? Why did the manager judge it fairly? Was he being fair, or was he already biased? Did that happen frequently?  It's a puzzler, but I was just so proud of the store manager I beamed the whole day.