protocol

what is the right thing to do when you see someone with a physical handicap who needs a little help?

someone i know was diagnosed with parkinson's but didn't share that diagnosis until there was no longer any way to hide it. therefore i believe he is very private about it and wants to go on about life like nothing has changed.

then today i saw him fumbling with a plastic container of fruit. one of those already cut and washed packs from the grocery. there is a plastic ring/seal around it all that you have to cut off. and the lid itself is wedged in. you've wrestled with them before; you know what i'm talking about. so on the one hand, he's really struggling with the stupid thing and there i am, sitting nearby trying to look like i'm not watching. and on the other hand, i might have struggled just as hard with it; i know i have before and had to hand it over to andrew before i accidentally cut my arm off or something.

i'm probably going to hold the door open for anyone who happens to be near by when i go through, no matter how they happen to be getting through the door. so i'm not talking about just basic common courtesy. but where is the line? what if it hadn't been a silly thing from the grocery that is made purposefully extra hard to get into? when does helping people make them feel helpless and when does not helping people make them feel like no one cares?