The Crazy Old Man

It was a cold winter’s day in Washington Park. The sun was shinning bright through the scattered clouds that were blowing at a brisk pace across the bright blue sky. It was definitely a day to be bundled up. I was out for my regular morning walk. Only this time it was a little different than usual. I had bumped, literally, into the “ Crazy Old Man” from Washington Park.

The Crazy Old Man from Washington Park, known as Joe to his friends, wasn’t actually crazy he was just extremely zealous for his cause. He was 103 years old, or so he claimed to be. He stood about five feet, six inches tall. (He says he used to be almost six feet tall but shrank over the years, due to carrying the weight of his fellow man on his shoulders for so long) He had pure white, wavy hair that covered his head and white eye-brows, to match. He didn’t have any known living relatives, at least none that any of us in town knew of. He lived in a small one-room efficiency apartment downtown. He was an activist for peace and civil rights. He was one third Native American, one third Caucasian and one third African American. He may have been 103 years old but he was sharp as tack!

Joe was a very wise old man who had lived a great many years and through a great many things. Through it all, the wars, the depression, the droughts and the famines, Joe had not lost his love for life but had actually become more of an advocate for it in the end. And so it goes that he spent his days traveling from town to town trying to “rid the world” of it’s ugly prejudice’s and trying to educate people of their own bigotries.
Joe was determined to try and get the world to see that, the “hatred of others was not the way to peace”, even if it was one person at a time, one wise word at a time.

So it came that it was my time with Joe and his wise words.

“Oh my goodness!” nearly falling on top of the old man. I grabbed him gently by the arm, just barley saving him falling to the ground. “I am so very sorry. I didn’t see you there. I was looking else where.”

“You young people are always in such a big hurry,” Joe shook his head. “Where are you off to in such a big hurry anyway on this beautiful crisp Sunday morning?”

“Uh-uh, I am , uh,” I stuttered a bit. Then realized the old man was right. It was Sunday morning and I had nowhere in particular to go. “I am just out for my morning walk.”

“Well then,” he continued “Since you nearly killed me going no where, why don’t you take a minute here and share the scenery with me.”

Truthfully, that is the last thing I wanted to do. But I felt guilty for almost knocking him out cold and he was all alone and ever so persistent so I gave in.

“Okay. I’ll sit with you. But just for a little while,” I started looking around.

Joe got that gleam in his eye. The gleam he always gets just before he starts his preachin’. “Whatcha’ lookin’ for?” Joe asked me.

“Can we find a spot in the sun?” I asked, rather timidly. “This wind is pretty cold.”

Joe snickered, saying something about us young fold not knowing what real cold was and we walked to the other side of the park. Found a seat in the sun and that’s when Joe shared with me these tid-bits of wisdom.

Joe said to me ~

“I have heard that birds of a feather flock together.
I have searched around the world in which I lived and found it to be so.”

“I have heard that a tiger never changes it’s stripes.
I have searched around the world in which I have lived and found it to be so.”

“I have heard that you can’t teach an old dog, new tricks.
I have searched around the world in which I have lived and found it to be so.”

“I have heard misery loves company.
I have searched around the world in which I have lived and found it to be so.”

I looked at Joe and waited in silence.

He looked back at me. His head hung down a bit, he turned it up toward me and then he gave me half a smile and said, “Aren’t you going to ask me what it all means?”

“Wow,” was all I could think. I didn’t even know what he meant by it. He hadn’t even finished it and some how, some way, I was wowed. I just knew whatever was coming next was going to be a gem and so I looked back at Joe and said, “Okay. What does it all mean?”

I was ready, but ready for what? I had set myself up for the most incredible morsel of wisdom and knowledge. I mean after all, this old man has been around. He has walked where so many of have never and will never walk. He has done so many things and seen so many things and learned so much in life.
“Wow,” was all I could think as I waited in baited breath for his elaborate, profound answer to man-kinds behavioral patterns.

Joe continued ~


“I have heard that birds of a feather flock together.
I have searched around the world in which I lived and found it to be so.”
Joe looked at me, sighed then continued on to say,
“Until we realize we are NOT Birds we will not over come prejudice.”
“I have heard that a tiger never changes it’s stripes.
I have searched around the world in which I have lived and found it to be so.”
Again, Joe sighed,
“Until we realize we are NOT Tigers we will never allow for people to change, thus the world to change.”
“I have heard that you can’t teach an old dog, new tricks.
I have searched around the world in which I have lived and found it to be so.”
Shaking his head, Joe stood up and raised his voice slightly,
“Until we realize we are NOT Dogs, we will not be able to teach anyone anything different than the way it is now.”
Lifting both arms into the air and yelling with zeal and great emotion, tears running down his face, he continued,
“Until we realize we are NOT animals but Men and Woman created in God’s image we will NEVER over come hatred and prejudice!

At this point there were others in the park and they had begun to stare. I can honestly say I did not feel embarrassed at all. The emotion that came from Joe was heart wrenching and real. Passion from a soul who has lived what he has preached. I sat and starred in utter amazement as Joe continued on.
There was a sudden change in Joe’s demeanor. He hung his head low. He was silent for a moment and then continued on in a very saddened tone,
“I have heard misery loves company.
I have searched around the world in which I have lived and found it to be so.”

“Unfortunately, this is true no matter where I have been. Until we realize it is we who are the ones who need to change and not them. It will always be so.”

At that, Joe just walked away.

I just sat there.
“Here I thought he was going to share some great new revelation on how to rid the world of prejudice or something,” I shook my head.

“It’s no wonder they call him the Crazy Old Man.”



copyright ©2002 AmyColleen