Young man helps elderly man down an escalator, restores faith in humanity

Sometimes it takes just a random act of kindness to restore faith in our common humanity.

Hospice nurse Paula Accorsi Picard posted on Facebook an incredibly sweet picture of a young man helping an elderly stranger down an escalator at the Holyoke Mall in Massachusetts.

As she detailed in the post, the older man stopped at the top of an escalator, looking frightened, while a few people started huddling waiting to get on.

"It was clear he was feeling unsure and this young man offered the simplest kindness: an out-reached arm and a 'can I help you on, sir?'" she said.

"He quietly started to explain to the young man that he had gotten stuck on an escalator once and was a little scared."

Then, the young man -- who was unaware of the woman taking a picture -- gently offered him assurance. They both looked at each other's eyes and the older man accepted his help, while everyone else patiently waited to get on.

The young man, who was later named as 23-year-old Alonzo Johnson, said: “He looked very afraid and I thought maybe I could help."

This is Picard's comment:

"In about an hour, the evening news will air and we'll be reminded of division, race wars, political mud-slinging, shootings and other heartaches. But today, violence, race, age, politics and other social lines were blurred as one person simply helped another. I wanted to hug both of them. Whoever this young man is, YOUR FAMILY RAISED YOU RIGHT! THANK YOU! So, please look for the silver linings - as I was so fortunate to witness this evening ♥️"

“We all need reminders that good people and good things happen around us,” Picard told US Weekly.

Her Facebook post went viral, with more than 400,000 reactions, 25,000 comments and almost 200,000 shares.