We are so judgmental. Just because someone lives on the street, it doesn't mean they are stupid. Just because someone appears able-bodied, it doesn't mean they aren't hiding an invisible disability. When a stranger walks up to you in the street, don't assume they want to beg for money. Some people just want to talk. So many of us are lonely, angry, depressed, frustrated. If a man approaches you, and looks a bit scruffy, don't automatically expect he wants your loose coins.

A man stopped me today on my way to catch a bus. He was mumbling and the street was noisy. For whatever reason, I didn't ignore him and keep walking like I normally would.

Halting, I said, "Pardon me?"

He repeated in a normal, clear voice. "I just got out of social prison."

At first, because the street was noisy, I thought he said only prison, and then described how awful it was. Many panhandlers try to play on a person's sympathy by saying they were just released from prison and have no money to even take a bus.

I waited for this man's punchline so I could politely tell him, Sorry, I have no change. Surprisingly, he never asked for anything of me. So I continued to listen to what he had to say. I realized the prison he'd just stepped out of was a bus crammed with rude people.

I'm not sure why, but my pulse was thumping at my temple. Warmth rose from my gut.

The man said his name was Sehun. He went on to lament the poor state of health care in this country, and asked me if I thought it was any better overseas. I told him I had no money to travel and therefore had never been overseas.

He said everything revolves around money. He asked me where in the world he could go in order to avoid the problem. Jokingly, I told him we need to inhabit a new planet. He didn't laugh, but told me I was probably right. My joke wasn't funny. It was reality.

The warmth from my gut crept its way into my cheeks while I listened. The social prison he spoke of included people lacking conscience. Careless folk with no communication skills who rely on technology. People without empathy, without interpersonal skills.

Self-consciously, I thumbed over the ridges of my cell phone case stashed in my pocket. Funny how I had no money to travel, but owned a Smartphone. I relied on it to communicate with most people. There were probably a couple of messages from Luhan already waiting for me. Kris, why did u run out like that? I wasn't finished giving u , or maybe Baby, I'm sorry come back!

I turned my attention back to Sehun. He was scruffy, yes. He was not well off. But his clothes weren't dirty, he didn't smell foul, and he wasn't homeless. I knew that when my bus arrived. I told him, "Dear, I have to catch my bus. I need to go to work so I can at least pay my rent."

He remarked, "I have to pay my rent too. Better not miss your bus. "

I'm not sure why I called him dear, but it seemed right. I told him goodbye and good luck. As I boarded the bus, I heard him call after me, "This world is a prison."

All the way to work, I thought about why he wanted to talk to me. What was his end goal? If I'd stayed longer, would he have ultimately asked me for a monetary donation in spite of my admission of poverty? Would he have parted ways with me as suddenly as he'd appeared? Would he have thanked me for listening?

Aboard the bus, I dismissed all five of Luhan's texts. He could wait. He could tell me in person.

I kept my phone turned off for the rest of the day, and Sehun stayed on the fringes of my consciousness. Why had he come to me exactly at that moment? Some of life's questions have no answer. Maybe I'll run into him again one day. Maybe I'll ask him if he's started colonizing our new planet.