The image is from https://www.district32.com.au/business-growth-articles/the-importance-of-human-connection/

The winter of 1935 was the most depressing period for the American economy.
During this period, a court case was being heard in a poor neighborhood in New York City.

Standing in the dock was an old woman in her late sixties. She wore shabby clothing and looked sad and ashamed. She had been taken to court by a baker for stealing bread from his bakery.

The judge said, “Defendant, did you indeed steal the bread from the bakery?”

The old lady lowered her head and replied meekly, “Yes, Your Honor, I did steal the bread.”

The judge asked, “What was your motive for stealing the bread? Was it hunger?”

“Yes.” The old woman looked at the judge and said, “I am hungry, but I need bread to feed my three grandchildren who have lost their parents. They have not eaten for days. They are still little children, and I cannot let them die.”

Upon hearing the old lady’s words, there was a low murmur in the gallery.

The judge struck his gavel and said gravely, “Order. Shall we now pronounce the sentence?” Then the judge turned to the old lady and said, “Defendant, I must uphold the law. You have two choices: Would you prefer to pay a ten-dollar fine or spend ten days in detention?”

With a pained look, the woman faced the judge and said, “Your Honor, I have broken the law and am willing to accept my punishment. If I had ten dollars, I would not have stolen the bread. I am willing to be detained for ten days, but who will take care of my three little grandchildren while I am gone?”

At that moment, a man in his forties stood up from the gallery. He bowed to the old woman and said, “Please accept the $10 sentence.” With that, he turned to the other people in the room and took out a ten-dollar bill. He took off his hat, put the money inside it, and said: “Everyone, I am LaGuardia, the current Mayor of New York City. Now, I would like to ask you all to pay a fine of fifty cents each. We are all being fined for our indifference. We deserve to be punished for living in a city where grandmothers must steal bread to feed their grandchildren.”

Everyone stared at Mayor LaGuardia in amazement. The courtroom was so quiet that you could have heard a pin drop. After a moment, the spectators stood up silently, and each man put fifty cents in the mayor’s hat, including the judge.

Why should an outsider become involved when an old woman is fined for stealing bread? LaGuardia made it clear that day; it is wrong to be indifferent in such poverty.

He showed us that human beings are not isolated from each other. As social animals, humans come into this world with the desire and obligation to interact with others. We share material interests and social and emotional interactions and form legal contracts.

In our life, everyone is likely to encounter difficulties, and everyone is expected to need assistance. If we do not help others in an emergency, who can guarantee that we will not eventually swallow the bitter fruit of becoming isolated and helpless?

The heart can only be enlightened when it is good. It is noble to cherish altruism and empathy. Wise people know that they will pay for indifference. Today’s society is too indifferent to the needs of others, and we pay the price for our selfishness.

Kindness is not merely a quality to be contrasted with indifference, betrayal, cruelty, and selfishness but also a spiritual contract.

The original Chinese article is from https://de-de.facebook.com/beautyco99/posts/139646980149671.

我们不是孤立的

1935年的冬天，是美國經濟最蕭條的一段日子。這天，在紐約市一個窮人居住區內的法庭上，正在開庭審理著一個案子。

站在被告席上的是一個年近六旬的老太太。她衣衫破舊，滿面愁容。愁苦中更多的是羞愧的神情。她因偷盜麵包房裡的麵包被麵包房的老闆告上了法庭。

法官審問道：「被告，你確實偷了麵包房的麵包嗎?」

老太太低著頭，囁嚅地回答：「是的，法官大人，我確實偷了。」

法官又問：「你偷麵包的動機是什麼，是因為飢餓嗎?」
「是的。」老太太抬起頭，兩眼看著法官，說道：「我是飢餓，但我更需要麵包來餵養我那三個失去父母的孫子，他們已經幾天沒吃東西了。我不能眼睜睜看著他們餓死。他們還是一些小孩子呀!」

聽了老太太的話，旁聽席上響起嘰嘰喳喳的低聲議論。
法官敲了一下木槌，嚴肅地說道：「肅靜。下面宣布判決?」說著，法官把臉轉向老太太，「被告，我必須秉公辦事，執行法律。你有兩種選擇：處以10美元的罰金或者是10天的拘役?」

老太太一臉痛苦和悔過的表情，她面對法官，為難地說：「法官大人，我犯了法，願意接受處罰。如果我有10美元，我就不會去偷麵包。我願意拘役10天，可我那三個小孫子誰來照顧呢?」

這時候，從旁聽席上站起一個四十多歲的男人，他向老太太鞠了一躬，說道：「請你接受10美元的判決。」說著，他轉身面向旁聽席上的其他人，掏出10美元，摘下帽子放進去，說：「各位，我是現任紐約市市長拉瓜地亞，現在，請諸位每人交50美分的罰金，這是為我們的冷漠付費，以處罰我們生活在一個要老祖母去偷麵包來餵養孫子的城市。」

法庭上，所有的人都驚訝了，都瞪大了眼睛望著市長拉瓜地亞。法庭上頓時靜得地上掉根針都聽得到。片刻，所有的旁聽者都默默起立，每個人都認真地拿出了50美分，放到市長的帽子里，連法官也不例外。

按理說，一個老婦人偷竊麵包被罰款，與外人何干?拉瓜地亞說得明白——為我們的冷漠付費。

他告訴我們，人和人之間並非孤立無關的，人來到這世間，作為社會的動物，是訂有契約的：物質利益的來往，有法律的契約；行為生活的交往，有精神的契約。

人生在世，誰都有可能遭遇危難和困境，誰都有可能成為弱者，如果我們在別人危急的時候不援手，誰能擔保自己不會吞咽孤立無援的苦果?
人心只有向善，才能被陽光照耀，所以善的契約才在世界普遍存在。懂得珍惜這種契約的人是高貴的。懂得為冷漠付費的人是明智的。當今的社會太冷漠，我們會為自己的自私付出代價。

中文原文來自https://de-de.facebook.com/beautyco99/posts/139646980149671.