Hello Everyone and Happy Tuesday 🙂
Let’s broach the poverty subject today. You know “Poverty” “Misery” “Homeless” “Mendicity” and all those words that usually make people cringe in disgust or uneasiness before they even have the chance to really understand them. Those same words many parents say to their children, using them to instill the fear of failure and the drive to succeed in school. Those cold words that you read and hear but never truly comprehend because you cannot relate to them or simply don’t want to.
After all, the stigma and negativism that stick with poverty is such, that when it gets up and close to you, close to your home and your comfort, your first thought is: “Well, they must have done something wrong, to be in such a bad way.”
People needs very little encouragement to associate the word “poor” with “bump” then come the ignorant and hateful conclusion: “Alcoholic” “Criminal” “Ex-con” “Deadbeat” “Scrub”.
The pity you feel when you see someone dirty and clearly homeless, hunched over with a trembling hand raised in a begging gesture for some money or some food, is almost never enough to stop you from walking away. And why should it be? You have things to do, people to see, you have a life, and this, this… degradation, this sadness, this misery is not part of it. You shove it out of your thoughts and easily at that . There are lot of those people out there. There is nothing you can do to help. It’s not your fault.
And how do you know that this beggar won’t use your money to buy some booze or some drugs anyway? How do you know he or she is not a bad person? What if they deserve it? What if God put them there? Not your problem, right? Right.
Yeah. A lot of people think that way. Between you and me, I don’t think they know much about God. Or Compassion. Or Kindness.
Kindness is not abnegation. It’s not hard, it’s not painful. I’m not saying kindness should come naturally to you. But it should at least come easily. You are human, they are human too. Why is it not easy for you to want to help?
And this homeless person who watch you walk away, his hand still up and his back still bowed… what does he sees when he looks at you? Is he burning with shame because he caught your disgusted expression when you hurried away from him on the sidewalk? Does he feel self-conscious, still, even after days or months living in the street? Did you make him feel that way? Does he swallow his pain as well as his tears and shake it off, hoping tiredly that someone else would be kind enough to buy him a sandwich?
Or does he watch you walk away dully, thinking that the weather is so cold, and there is no place for him to rest anymore so maybe, hopefully, in a week or two, this will be over, he’ll go sleep and won’t wake up, and he’ll never be a bother to people like you again?
What if it was you? Does this question makes you uncomfortable? Tough. What if it was you?
Care. Just a little, even a little, but care. That is the only way we can all survive.
Quote of the day
Picture of the day
Song of the day
Stacie Orrico “Instead”
I saw him shaking his change in a coffee cup
Asked for a dollar but I told the man to give it up
Said he’s hungry, I don’t think that it’s true
Bet my dollar he gon’ spend it on booze
I turned my back on him and began to walk away
But then I heard the little voice inside me say
What if it’s really true, what if he’s hungry?
What if it’s not for him, does he have a family?[Pre-chorus:]
How’d you get here?
How’d you end up on the street?
Where did it go wrong?
Wonder what I’d do if it were me![Chorus:]
A new point of view
A walk in your shoes
I wish I could get inside your head
To see what you see
When you look at me
‘Cause I could’ve lived your life instead[Verse 2:]
It was 90 degrees in the summer heat
She was veiled in black all the way down to her feet
This is America, doesn’t she know?
Somebody take her shopping, buy her some cloths
She came up to me, I didn’t understand a word
I was about to leave then another thought occurred
She might be really lost, scared and frustrated
I should try again to see what she’s sayin’[Pre-chorus 2:]
How’d you get here?
How’d you get so far from home?
What was it that made you leave?
Wonder what I’d do if it were me!
[Chorus]
[Bridge:]
I would see, oh oh
Oh, see what you see
And I would feel
Oh, feel just what you feel
[Chorus (2x)]
‘Cause I could’ve lived your life instead [2x]
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JGC Blog - Culture is not one thing. It's Everything. 
I remember it was 2 days before Christmas and I was driving home. I saw a man and his dog at the exit of the freeway. It was cold and snowing. The man held a sign saying, “All I need is 86 cents to buy my dog some food.” This really touched me. He wasn’t asking for himself, he was concerned about his dog. I pulled over to the side of the road, got out of my car and handed him a couple of dollars. He had tears in his eyes when he thanked me. I would hope someday that someone would do the same for me. Thank you Fantac for reminding us of how fortunate we are and that we have an obligation to assist when we can.
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And thank you, so much for sharing this amazing moment… I’m truly touched. 🙏🏽
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Thank you for the daily Shatzis.
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