When you hear the word homeless, what's the first image that pops to mind? I bet it's something pretty similar to this photograph. Most of us have seen a homeless person with our own eyes. They are easy to pinpoint. They usually are dirty looking, they might have tattered or worn-out clothing on, or they might have unkempt hair and dirt under their nails. The phenomenal thing about a homeless person isn't that we can point one out if we see one, but that they are so easy to NOT see, to ignore, and to avoid. This disturbing reality became startlingly more disturbing recently when one of my wife's co-worker's shared an incident that happened to a good friend of his up in New York. His friend would have seizures sometimes, and about a week ago he had a seizure on a busy street in Manhattan, and then fell face-first in the snow. For hours pedestrians did what they have trained themselves to do, and they ignored the guy in the snow, assuming he was a sleeping homeless guy, and more importantly reassuring themselves that whoever he was, he wasn't their problem. After 4-5 hours someone finally called the police, but by then it was too late, my wife's co-worker's friend was dead.
How have we gotten here? How is it that thousands of people can walk past homeless people everyday and constantly push the grief and misfortune of fellow human beings off as "someone else's" problem? I don't believe the answer to that question is simple, nor do I believe that it's comfortable. Easy and comfortable would probably involve getting the government to develop some program that would help get homeless people off the streets and out of my way, but that program would never have been able to save that young New Yorker's life. Until I both realize and act as though I am responsible for the life of my neighbor homelessness and poverty will persist, while I continue to grow richer.
Personal:
If you haven't checked out the rescue missions near you yet, go look now at www.agrm.org
Action:
1. How many people have you called or texted this week? Have you called the nearest rescue mission to you yet? What would you lose from calling them? What could you gain? What do you think is preventing you from calling. Share your thoughts here.
2. According to the survey mentioned at sixweekquest.org a vast majority of homeless people prefer relief organizations that have a spiritual emphasis, why do you think that is? Do you think this statistic would be true for the types of organizations the top 10% wealthiest people in the world like to give to? Why or why not?
Posts
After re-reading this post, I'd also like to point out that the generalization I made about how homeless people "look" was used mostly to identify the types of homeless people we often try to avoid or ignore. That being said, I'd like to make clear that this generalization is a stereotype, and that there are many homeless people who find ways to stay hygienic and well-dressed despite their lack of a home or their lack of access to commodities such as a shower, multiple sets of clothes, a washer, dryer, or even basic toiletries.
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