He’s Homeless and He’s Hopeless
Being either is bad but together they should be unthinkable
Did you ever pass by a homeless person sleeping on the sidewalk like the one in the photo above? Or holding a sign saying “Will work for food,” or just sitting on the ground with a can or box in front looking forlorn?
Maybe they also had a grocery cart loaded with a few items that made up all that he or she had left in their earthly experience. Add to this the fact that they were filthy and probably even smelled badly.
If so, what do you think?
Did you avoid eye contact because you didn’t want to “catch” whatever they had? NEWS FLASH: extreme poverty can not be transmitted like a disease, at least not like a physical disease. You don’t “Get” it, you THINK it.
Did you avoid leaving something in their cup or box because “They would only buy alcohol or drugs with it?”
It is true that many of these lost, begging souls were not always looking, acting, and smelling like they do now. Many were business owners and employees of big corporations that closed their doors, told them that they were “Laid off,” maybe given a severance check, and told, “Don’t let the door hit you on the backside when you leave.”
Especially in industrial towns throughout the nation, this has been the ritual for years, now. They worked decades for a company that took a “poof pill” and disappeared, fleeing the city, state, and/or country, leaving their former employees stranded at the same time.
Poverty is fast becoming a generational “dis-ease.” “My daddy’s poor and left me nothing and I can’t take care of my own kids, either, so I guess I’ll just leave,” ruining another family and maybe even “sentencing” them to poverty, too.
What is the answer? It certainly has been proven that governmental financial bailouts for certain businesses have not worked for many, other than the leaders of the businesses and the governmental units “supervising” the grants.
Do I have the answers? Not yet, but I can not forget what The Serenity Prayer teaches us either when it says “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; Courage to change the things I can; And wisdom to know the difference.”
What can I change? I can only change my attitudes and actions about the situation. I can remember that human beings are involved here and treat them as such. If I ask “How are you doing?” I must have the patience and understanding to listen to their answer.
All many truly want is to be recognized as a human being, not an object to be ignored or kicked aside.
We have discussed the powerful “I Am” before. How important it is for us to be able to say “I am somebody.” Why would or should the answer be any different for some?
In Michigan, where I live, some wear caps and other clothing with the maize-colored block M representing the University of Michigan or the green and white Sparty character representing Michigan State University feeling like they belong, if only for an instant, during a rivalry game between the two universities.
At locations that give away free clothing to the homeless, these items with the logos are among the first to go. When wearing it, they can feel, if only for an instant, like “I Am Somebody.”
Everything has to begin somewhere, sometime. So, why not make eye contact with all? This is a great beginning because, if you make eye contact, even if only for an instant, it will show that you care.
When you do this repeatedly, you will be amazed at the other things you will soon realize you can do that will come to mind.
Just like “Peace on Earth,” all you can do is demonstrate peace and joy in your little piece of the world.
Thank you, God!
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