In that exchange, I learned a profound lesson. The man on the corner held a fire that burned bright beneath the ashes of despair; it simply needed the spark of recognition and compassion from fellow human beings to reignite. Whether that spark came from a warm drink or a simple meal, it mattered that the fire continued to glow, that we acknowledged the lives beyond our own, that we saw the humanity in those deemed invisible by society. The battle against indifference was a shared responsibility; within that fight lay the most profound expression of humanity, the courage to see and acknowledge the struggles of others, and the willingness to extend a hand, however small, to help them navigate the darkness. The true measure of a society was not its wealth or its power, but its capacity for empathy and its commitment to ensuring the well-being of all its citizens, especially those who were most vulnerable and forgotten.