The photograph that captured a moment of pure human empathy on a New York City subway train last week has captured the hearts of a nation and is serving as a reminder to be good to each other.

A fellow passenger took the picture and posted it on Reddit where it was picked up and shared around social media.

The image shows a young black man in a hoodie fast asleep on the shoulder of a Jewish man identified as Issac Theil, 65.

According to the Huffington Post, Reddit user Braffination wrote with the photo:

Heading home on the Q train yesterday when this young black guy nods off on the shoulder of a Jewish man. The man doesn’t move a muscle, just lets him stay there. After a minute, I asked the man if he wanted me to wake the kid up, but he shook his head and responded, ‘He must have had a long day, let him sleep. We’ve all been there, right?’

Theil reportedly let the sleeping boy stay on his shoulder for almost a half an hour, and has been surprised by the sensation the picture has become.

“Maybe the photo wouldn’t have become so popular if people weren’t seeing a Jewish man with a yarmulke and a black man in a hood, and because they might not necessarily correlate the two,” the Post reported Theil told Tablet Magazine. “But there is only one reason that I didn’t move, and let him continue sleeping, and that has nothing to do with race. He was simply a human being who was exhausted, and I knew it and happened to be there and have a big shoulder to offer him.”

“I would love for people to use this as a lesson to just be good to each other,” Theil said.

Compassion, ladies and gentlemen…pass it on.

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Janeen Capizola

"And though she be but little, she is fierce." And fun! This conservative-minded political junkie, mom of three, dancer and one-time NFL cheerleader holds a bachelor of arts degree in political science. [email protected]. Twitter: @JaneenBPR

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