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| Homeless or Home Free? |
Homeless or Home Free?
From the outside looking in one may perceive a person that’s homeless as rather unfortunate when in many cases the individual is content with their lifestyle. In other instances a person who does wish to have a home with the amenities that come along with it may view their own lifestyle as less than desirable.
In the US alone there are over 3 million people living without a place to call home. A lot of people assume that it’s always the individuals fault but statistics show that there are a number of unfortunate and unavoidable circumstances leading up to a life on the street. There is a stigma associated with the homeless because the public is not well enough informed of the underlying causes of homelessness. Not everyone that winds up on the street is a drug addict or an alcoholic. Many people who are homeless suffer from physical or mental disabilities and some are just lonely people who have become displaced in society. The truth of the matter is homelessness itself can be a plague to society and instead of playing the blame game we ought to try to find solutions. Unfortunately there is not an exact science to ending homelessness so what we really need is creative living solutions.
We build the homes and we contribute to the structures that contribute to the causes of homelessness. So in essence we are part of the problem but there is opportunity for us to become part of the solution. Don't assume that homelessness is someone elses problem. This awareness of people living on the streets requires our attention, care and quite honestly they need to be loved, not feared. This fear of the homeless only demonizes them is part of the reason why many feel displaced in society. They no longer feel wanted because they don't produce as efficienty or as quickly as other people. They are not valued in society as someone who has the resources and ability to be a productive member of society.
The solutions required to help end homelessness can be found within us. First we must learn to communicate respectfully and sincerely with people. There are many doctors, lawyers, war veterans and average citizens ranging from the youth to the elderly who are experiencing a hardship and telling someone to pull themselves up by their bootstraps is not always the best approach. Many people who are down require a tender approach before they can begin to feel confidence in their ability to rise again. They need a strong support system of loving and compassionate people willing to pay close attention to the needs of the homeless.
So many people are quick to judge another person and often project their own hatred or anger onto someone who’s already down and out. In some cases people have been known to harass or even physically assault the homeless simply because they view them as less valuable members of society. Comments like “go get a job you bum” doesn’t help a persons confidence, especially if they are experiencing depression or another form of mental illness. These hateful words can be like salt poured into an open wound and can discourage a person from progressing in life. The fact is, each individual has their own unique thought process and mental capacity for learning so just because some people are able to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, other people may need a hand getting up after being down for so long.
Personal motivation and intelligence without compassion for others is pointless. The only outcome will be a bunch of people harping on their own intelligence with the motivation solely for personal desires and self-gains. We all live on the same planet so it would make more sense to me that we learn to care for one another because sooner or later we may just need someone to be there for us.
People are not robots but many act just as systematic and tend to forget their natural human emotions. There are plenty of people in the world who are without college degrees or certificates of achievements but have a burning desire to help others in need. However it’s not easy to find a job that pays reasonably enough to survive with an economy that revolves around getting as much money now and buy as much as you can before a recession. Meanwhile there are still basic human needs not being met and many who have monetary wealth can’t seem to understand things from the prospective of the poor. Our monetary system is designed in such a way to keep the rich at the top of the royal hierarchy while the poor fight for scraps. Where is the justice in America? Where is equal opportunity? More importantly, where is the love?
The only way one can truly understand what happened to a person to cause them to become homeless or home free is to ask a person in that situation. So I ventured out into the streets and also visited a couple local shelters, The Mission in Salem and My Brothers Table in Lynn to get acquainted with some of society’s displaced and to find out what happened. I’m no journalist but I’d like to consider myself a concerned citizen with the ability to write. I write often about topics relating to my social environments. I can say I learned a lot from living among the homeless and I learned quite a bit about how much money is being made off the misfortune of others and it’s sad when you get to the root of the problem and realize how much humanity lacks true common sense. Not only do I worry about the next generation of youth because of the world we are leaving behind for them, I also wonder why they would even care about taking care of us as we grow old knowing we didn’t do a better job preparing a cleaner, self sustaining and more friendly environment for them to grow up in. I know we can do better than we are now that’s for sure and we’d better get moving.
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Posted by JustBe777 on 2008-12-01 20:36:14 | Rating: | Views: 87
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