Nearby, a group of college students, their voices filled with carefree laughter and animated banter, navigated the crowded sidewalk with a sense of youthful exuberance. They weaved around Joe’s prone body with the same casual ease one might use to step over a stray object in their path.
To them, Joe was nothing more than an obstacle momentarily interrupting their joyous camaraderie. Further along, a young woman, her world consumed by the relentless beats of a motivational podcast blaring through her headphones, barely registered Joe’s presence.