What Jack's Socks Taught Me About Changing the World

Far too many people are so concerned about changing the world that they neglect to change the person next to them.

While attending Brigham Young University, three semesters in a row I had classes with a man named Jack*.  In the last week of my last semester, I noticed that his clothes were quite tattered: he wore the same pair of jeans, the same shirt, jacket and shoes every day.  His socks had holes in the heels that you could see peep out above the heel tab when he walked.


To be honest, I didn't "notice" this the last week of my time at BYU.  I had noticed before.  But this was the first time I had acknowledged the fact.  I honestly hadn't thought anything of it.  I'm not sure what exactly changed in my mentality, but when I finally acknowledged that the man had only one set of clothes, I decided to do something about it.

I didn't have much myself.  I had lost my job, been unemployed for months, and was trying my best to sell various possessions to provide for my wife and four children.  My wife was taking the kids with her to clean houses for extra cash.  Unable to buy him new clothes, I chose out a couple pairs of jeans, six pairs of socks, a few shirts and a couple jackets, threw them in a bag, and took them to school with me the next day.

After class, I approached Jack cautiously.  I didn't want to offend him.  Maybe he had tons of clothes and just liked wearing the same stuff every day.  But I figured since it was the last week of that class, it wouldn't matter if I did anyway.

I awkwardly told him that I had noticed he wore the same clothes every day and that he had holes in his socks, and I gave him the bag of clothes I had brought.

He began to tear up.  He told me that he had grown up with little money, and he had no financial support from his parents to put him through college.  Through studying hard, he had been able to obtain a scholarship to attend the university.  He worked nights and weekends as a janitor on campus to pay for his books and other fees.  What little money remained he used to pay rent and buy food.  He didn't have the means to purchase new clothes.

I don't share this story to boast.  On the contrary, I am embarrassed.  How pathetic, that I saw this person—a son of God—daily for a year and a half, and never thought to help him until the very end of our acquaintance.

I had been self-absorbed: worrying about my grades, my education, my problems, my success, my future career, my degree.  And by doing so, I had overlooked someone else who could have been helped eighteen months previously.  I am ashamed it took me so long.

Far too many people are so concerned about changing the world that they neglect to change the person next to them. We are all far too guilty of this. We will donate clothes to people halfway around the world, but we don't even notice the people around us who need clothes. We expect third-party charities and the government to take care of people instead of taking care of each other. This social loafing is destroying our society and keeping us from doing much good in the world.

While people far removed from us are still within our circle of concern (clearly we care about the slave trade in Libya and how untouchables are treated in India) they are outside of our circle of influence. It is best for us to "lift where we stand" and help those in our immediate vicinity. Rather than run around with lofty ideas in our heads feeding a savior complex about how we will somehow change the world (as the majority of college students are apt to do), let's help those who are suffering in our own neighborhoods and in our own families. Change starts at the lowest level and works its way up.
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*Name has been changed.