On the way back to Vancouver from Egypt I had a little unusual situation.  I did something that normally would go against my beliefs about compassion. 

There was a woman in her sixties sitting across the walk way to my left.  She did not look comfortable in her seat at all…  My guess she was about 400 pounds.  The woman asked the flight attendant to get a seat belt extension because the existing one didn’t fit.   She got the seatbelt extension, looked happy and we were all set for the take off.

As soon as we were in the air, there was complimentary drinks served and my neighbour lady kept asking for juice and kept saying no to water.  I was thinking to myself, I wonder if she knows how much sugar is in that juice!  People think that fruit juice is a good thing for you, vitamins and so on.  But it comes with a load of sugar!  Juice in the can has hardly any nutrition left and it does more harm then good!

A few hours past and lady beside me decides to get up to go to the bathroom.  It took her a while to stand up and with 3 flight attendants helping her she made her way to the bathroom and then back to her seat!  I felt bad, thinking how she manages to live her every day life?  It must to be very challenging. 

A few minutes later, when the lady got her breath back, she realized, that trip to the bathroom got her all warmed up.  She decided to take her sweater off.  And she tried one way, then the other and went from one side to the other.  She was struggling and her breath was getting heavy (I could hear it as she was sitting close by).  And I felt bad!  I was just about to reach my hand and pull the sweater sleeve, then something happened…  Mean mean me stopped me!  All I did was cross my arms on my chest and turned to face the tiny plane window!  I realized that compassion is not always helping.  I wanted to hear that heavy breath, I wanted to know her heart is beating faster and faster and I was hoping that this lady, just by taking her sweater off would burn some of the calories she consumed with the amount of the juice she drank in those few hours.  She was working out!   

I was thinking, that she must have someone helping her day in and day out with the daily chores, getting dressed, going to the bathroom, taking shower, getting groceries, making food and so on, because there is no way she is able to do all that on her own.  And if that some one who is so loving and compassionate, would just let this poor woman to do some things on her own, eventually she wouldn’t need people helping her to take sweater off, to go to the bathroom etc…

I am still thinking about that situation and still have mixed feelings about not helping my fellow traveler.  I strongly believe in compassion, I strongly believe in giving help to people in need.  Do you think I was mean in that situation?