A few days ago, we were visiting Prey Veng, Province of Cambodia, and on our way back to the city, we picked up a man and his pet duck. The duck was not all that comfortable being in the van at first. It started squawking loudly and thrashing its wings, making the ride difficult for everyone. Realizing this, the man picked up the duck and held on to it like a baby. Fortunately for all of us in the van, the duck quieted down, and with the occasional release of gas and fecal matter from the nervous duck, the ride back to town was tolerable, albeit with the windows down at times to bring in fresh air.

During the long ride back home, I thought about how people and animals are similar. No one likes to be alone in threatening situations, and sometimes having someone you trust close by can make a difficult situation more comfortable. Wouldn’t it be nice, I thought, if we all were more like this man, who demonstrated kindness and trustworthiness to a creature in need?

The man was very gracious when we arrived at his destination, and as he jumped out of the van with his duck, he invited us to stay a bit for dinner in exchange for the ride. I asked him what was on the menu, just to be polite, and his response was ”Well… duck of course.”

We politely declined the invitation, but as we completed our journey home, I couldn’t help but think of the poor duck and the many people I know who are like it, who don’t realize that sometimes the people they’ve placed their trust in may have ulterior motives for their kindness.