When the homeless man featured in this video wakes up from a nap on a hard bench, he doesn’t expect anything about his luck to have changed. As he looks around, he realizes someone has placed some money on his backpack. He picks it up and looks all around in surprise – then realizes it’s his to keep.
Though most of us are always pretty happy about being handed cash, it’s clear that this money is life-changing. He looks up to the sky in thanks. Little does he know that a vlogger called Jamal is watching him in what he calls a “social experiment.” He wanted to find out exactly what a homeless man would do with the money.
They follow him to a Target and he goes inside and comes out with two bags full of shopping. He returns to his bench and that’s when Johal steps it up. He walks over to the next bench, within earshot of the homeless man, and pretends to be on the phone.
“I have no money on me and my daughter is sick,” Johal says. “She needs medicine. It sucks living paycheck to paycheck.” As he rubs his face in grief he says, “Just let me know if you can help me out with any money, dude. Bye.”
The homeless man eyes Johal as Johal puts his head in his hands. Slowly, he gets up. “Are you alright, dude?”
Johal explains his story. He’s out of money and his daughter needs medicine he can’t afford. When the homeless man has heard his whole story he asks Johal to watch his backpack and walks off with his bags. He returns 20 minutes later without the bags.
“What happened to your bags?” Johal asks. The homeless man explains that he returned them to Target and wants to give him the cash. Johal can’t believe it. “Don’t you need that?” The homeless man explains that he wants Johal to have it, even though he hasn’t eaten at all that day and sleeps wherever he can.
That’s when Johal surprises him. “Here’s another $500, man.” The homeless man can’t believe it, and after just a moment he’s moved to tears. He hugs Johal (cue tears!) and that’s when Johal tells him all about the experiment.
Watch the video to see exactly how it happens and read the moving message at the end!
