The Greatest Common
Denominator; a Societal, Mathematical Aspects
By: Aadel M Al-Mahdy
It was a hot
summer day. John, though carrying a heavy plastic bag full of library books and
DVDs, had to walk all the way home because he couldn’t afford taking the bus.
His pension was so small that after he has covered his monthly bills and paid for
his medication, he ran out of money by the first week of the month. He was
afflicted with a chronicle liver disease, and the water leakage from his scared
liver into his abdominal cavity enormously distends his belly and made it
difficult for him to breath or walk. His jaundiced eyes were sunken and circled
with darker color. His skin looked clayish and clammy and on top of that, he
felt drowsy most of the time because of his anti-depression medication. A look
at John by those who did not know him would be deceptive. They would mistake
him by a homeless or a druggie.
John’s depression made him careless about his
appearance.
In the park
behind the library, John saw some people sitting to a picnic table while others
clustered nearby and engaged in talking. He became curious, but his curiosity
was elevated by the sight of the city’s newspaper crew in the midst of the crowd. He
sat close to the scene to figure out what was happening. He heard someone
saying, “I think it’s a great idea,”, and another one who quickly added, “This
town is supposed to be filled with God-fearing people and all the politicians
are supposed to be God-fearing, and nobody is doing anything about the
homeless”, and another one who said, pointing to a mid-aged man, “This
gentleman here, God bless him, is a priest. He is doing the right thing. He
is feeding the homeless. It is the right thing to do”
John saw two
police cars parked next to the park’s fence and, on the other side of the
street, he also saw a few people standing in the entrances of their business
buildings, watching the people in the park. John then
remembered reading in the newspaper a few days ago an article on this
particular park and how it became a haven for homeless people, druggies and
prostitutes. People wanted the police to interfere and stop a priest from
feeding the homeless and the druggies, thus they would hum around no more ─ But then where
will they go? The problem is far more complicated and they are still a part of
our society whether they made themselves or were made what they are by certain
circumstances. They are the one sheep that went astray ─ John thought. An old man sat
beside John and asked him what the matter. John told him about the homeless and
the druggies. “Oh, those guys,
they are scaring families away” the man carelessly said. “They do!” John
exclaimed. “Yes they do and businesses around here are complaining, too” the
old man said. “What is the solution should be like, then?” John asked, being
curious that the old man might suggest a feasible solution. “I guess they
have to stop them from coming to the park” the old man said. “Won’t this
solution infringe their rights; their freedom to come to the park” frustrated,
John asked him. “In a way, yes, but,” said the old man. “But what, they
never bothered anyone. They may approach you for a cigarette, but if you say
no, they just leave” John explained. “But they are undesirable for what they
do” The man said. “We can’t
jeopardize their right because we desire a different behavior from them,
unless their right hurts other people’s right in the process” John interjected.
“Are you sympathizing with them?” The man then asked. “No, I am not”
John answered and then added, “Those people have a problem and they really need
help. Any one of them can be your lost child. They are not criminals compared
to heinous crimes committed on higher levels everyday and do slip by with no
incriminating word uttered. The real evil-doers are the undesirables that need
to be harshly dealt with; they are, in fact, the greatest common denominator” ─ “Oh, I agree
with you. I do not know what is wrong with our society” the man said. John
explained, “Well, in my mind, the society is either in deep slumber or it is
collectively scared to locate the greatest common denominator factor and deal
with it and because of their guilty conscious they had to find an escape-goat ─
and they have found it; the homeless, the prostitutes and the druggies; the
least common denominator factor” the main said, “Since you have
put it this way, I do not know what to say” John looked at his
watch and then said, “Excuse me, I got to leave. Nice talking to you, anyways”
On his way home,
John felt fatigue and out of breath. So he sat on the low brick fence of one of
the houses on the street leading to his residence. A man accompanied by a huge
dog emerged from the house and looked at him and angrily yelled, “Why are you
sitting on my fence, you creep?” John apologized, “Sir, I am tired and I
want to rest for a while. I hope you do not mind!” but still
angry, the man yelled again, “Yes I do. Get the hell out of here, druggie!” ─ “Sir, please,
don’t call me druggie. I am not” John protested. “Yes you are. Have you
looked at yourself in a mirror lately?” the man still yelled. “I do everyday,
sir. And everyday, I see my life slipping away from me because of my ailment” John
answered. “Stop taking the
shit you are taking” the man yelled again. “Sir, you do not understand. I take
nothing but my prescribed medications. I told you I am sick” John explained. “Sick
my ass; I do not want the likes of you hanging around here. Get lost or I’ll
call the cops!” The man yelled. Having no
alternative but to leave, John stood up, picked his bag and started to walk away
but he was not quick enough, so the man pushed him. John fell to the ground. “God, I think I
heart my back” John said to himself, feeling like throwing up, but the man
shouted at him, “Don’t you dare throw up beside my fence, you piece of shit.
Get up right now and get lost”
Lying flat on
the ground in a state of agony, the events, that John saw taking place in the park
behind the library, re-enacted before his mental eyes. He felt dizzy and as
though coming from a distant place, he heard his own voice, “Sir, why are you so
angry? I did not hurt you in any way. Sitting on your brick fence won’t hurt
you. I am not a druggie or homeless. I am just a person with serious illness. I
could have been you” and with eyes brimming
with tears John strove to roll his body away as the contagious aggressiveness
of the man made the dog threateningly bare his teeth, grunt and jump. John was
sure he was doomed and before he fell unconscious because of the immortal pain
he felt, he heard the sound of his ankle bone being crushed by the dog’s sharp
teeth.
The End
