Did you know we have homeless people here in America? Yes, that's right, in a country known for its excesses, a country with some of the richest people in the world, we also have people living on the streets with nothing.
Some of our elected officials respond so well: One city's mayor didn't like having his ride to work marred each day by a view of the homeless who were living under a bridge. So he did what any normal person would do, he ordered the police to roust them out of there. Couldn't have that sort of thing at the front door to the city!
And this is not particularly uncommon. Politicians don't like to have the homeless mucking up their city's streets. What does that say about the city? Indeed. Of course, such mayor's could perhaps actually do something that would help these people rather than just telling them to move along.
The thing is, people don't seem to be particularly concerned. The plight of people in Africa? Let's raise money and awareness and sign petitions and save those people! What, a baby in Ethiopia is an AIDS orphan? Don't worry, Angelina Jolie will adopt her! Baby girls in China being abandoned? Never fear, we Americans will adopt them!
Not that I have a problem with helping children, regardless of their nationality. We're all one big family on this Earth and we all need to help each other. I'm all for helping those in foreign countries when they need and want our help. I'm just not for ignoring the problems in our own country. Just a couple of weeks ago, I was reading an article about foreign couples coming to America to adopt babies/children.
I know a lot of people are surprised to hear that. I certainly was. Until I got to the punch line: they're not white babies/children, they're black babies/children. Not enough people here want them (they're too busy adopting overseas, apparently... or perhaps agencies are not making the outreach efforts they need to be making), and apparently it's "easy" to deal with the paperwork and such, so people are coming here for our babies. But that's a topic for another day. Back to the current point…
Taking care of others is fantastic. It's big-hearted and kind and right. However, let's not forget us. We need to also be caring for ourselves, our own neighbors. The more we help our own neighborhoods, the stronger our overall society will be. And the stronger our overall society is, the more we can help others. See, it all works out, even if our efforts begin at home.
What we cannot do is to continue ignoring the problem. Pretending you don't pass those homeless people on your way to work doesn't help anything. Pretending that the homeless people who do register on your radar are just lazy bums who don't feel like getting a job and ignoring that fact that a large percentage of them are ill and unable to care for themselves. They were pushed out of state hospitals a couple of decades ago when it was decided that those institutions should be shut down. The people had nowhere to go. They're too ill to hold jobs, to care for themselves. So they live on the streets.
I won't argue that there are those who abuse welfare, that there are those who truly don't want to work and prefer receiving that check from the state each month. People do not, however, choose a life on the streets. They do not choose to live under bridges, on benches, in doorways. They do not choose to beg for money and to walk around town well all of their worldly possessions in a plastic bag or two.
Whether seeing a homeless person causes your lip to curl or your heart to hurt, ignoring the entire situation seems to be the favored overall response. And this is wrong.
I don't want to hear about individuals not being able to make a difference. That's not true. No, I'm not suggesting that you hand out money left and right each day. I am suggesting that you write letters, to papers, to politicians, to friends. I am suggesting that you stop ignoring that our brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers and children are living on the streets. I am suggesting that you think about this when you vote. Vote for the candidate that you think is the most likely to do something to help those who cannot help themselves. And if you do want to give money, then give it to an organization that helps the homeless: an organization that provides shelter, a foodbank, a store that offers clothes and such for next to nothing or even for free. If we all do this little bit, then we will all be stronger for it. And the stronger we are, the better able we will be to help those around the world.
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