Dear Editor,

On August 23, I observed an act of real kindness from someone I now consider one of Jamaica's finest. I was sitting in a taxi in Papine when a young woman entered. She was very pleasant and mannerly, which unfortunately is not customary among the nation's youth nowadays. The taxi operator was waiting for other passengers when I saw a young man escorting an elderly blind man to the corner of the street. The blind senior citizen asked if he was by the bus stop and the young man told him no. He then asked this youth if he could take him to the bus stop. The young man took his hand but led the senior citizen only around a parked car. The young woman I was sharing the taxi with was apparently observing all this and was concerned about the blind man.

As the blind man hobbled along, he was bouncing into things. The final straw for my companion was when he bounced into a fruit vendor's cart, which had knives on it. This kind soul then opened the door to get out of the cab. The taxi driver objected and said the blind man was OK. He drove off. When the young woman saw the man bounce into another car, she demanded that the taxi driver stop the car and allow her to get out. The driver realised her insistence and did not argue with her, but reversed the car so she could get out right beside the blind man. She spoke gently to the man and inquired as to where he was going and why he did not have a cane. I overheard him telling her that a truck had run over his cane and he was trying to go to the University Hospital of the West Indies to get one. She realised that it would be a little distance from the intersection of the road down to the hospital, so she asked the waiting taxi driver if he could take the man there and the driver obliged.

On reaching the bus stop across from the hospital gate, the young woman asked someone to escort him across the road and asked the driver to wait to ensure that this senor citizen was safe.

Many people would have just left this man. I myself sat there and did nothing. I had to commend this young woman for what she did. I saw her the following day and told her how proud I was to see that there are still kind, well-thinking and well-mannered young people in Jamaica. I would like to publicly commend Miss Kemesha Kelly, a student of the University of the West Indies, for her kindness and care. We need more people like her in this country. When I spoke to this caring young woman and asked why she did it, she said it could have been her, her family member or a friend. She would want someone to help her in that situation. She also said she was concerned about his safety as the drivers on the road leading to the hospital often speed along.

We need to recognise more the positive young people in Jamaica, land we love.

Vincent T Rose

vincent.t.rose@gmail.com