All Saints'

It's been awhile since I visited the asian store at the top of The Parade. I went there for a few packs of instant noodles and sauces. As i went back up The Parade to get some toilettries from Tesco, I saw a man lying on the pavement right in front of Tesco's entrance with his head on a bag of what seems to be groceries. From afar i thought that he was a homeless person. I passed him once trying to find a spot for my bicycle to park on and heard a woman, who was also passing by, telling her daughter that the guy is probably drunk. The guy didnt seem to look both homeless and a drunkard as he looks very decent. Although after the woman said that he is a drunkard, i thought maybe he was. But for a moment when i looked at this eyes, he didnt look like he was drunk. He looked like he was in pain. After finding a spot for my bicycle, i passed the lying man again and i proceeded to enter Tesco. Then another woman who seemed very concerned about the man lying on the pavement was entering Tesco with me. As we both entered Tesco, she immediately approached a Tesco staff and probably informed him about the man lying outside. I assumed she was telling the Tesco staff to call the police. I grabbed the items listed in my grocery list and went outside of Tesco after about 15minutes. When i got outside, a medic was already attending to the man lying outside and there was someone beside the man, probably his wife/sister/girlfriend looking very worried and almost in tears.

This experience taught me one thing. Initial assessment of situations doesn't necessarily mean the right one. I felt so ashamed of myself after realizing that the man was indeed in pain but I immediately assumed that he was a drunkard because I heard someone said it. A lot of people must have passed the man before i got there not realizing that he was fighting for his life but instead thinking that he was some lowlife.

I cycled back to my flat carrying my groceries thinking about what if it had happened to me. Will people help me at once or think ill of me while i fight for my life?