There's a revolving door among the homeless population and today I had a chance to talk about it with a man who has been homeless and has been working as an advocate for the homeless for more than 10 years.
He said he didn't want to detract from my project but there is a side of homelessness that I will never know because I am not mentally ill or drug addicted. I told him that I know about that side from hearing stories but I will never know what addiction to substances is like because I have seen too many horror stories that I will not try those things.
"The point is," he said. "You chose to be in this situation so you don't have the pressure to escape through alcohol or drugs that most homeless people do."
No, I do not have that desire to self medicate like that. I am a leader. Leaders need to have a clear and sober mind.
The truth is, and my gentleman friend confirmed my suspicion, most people who are homeless WANT to be homeless.
There are resources available to those who have drive. Those who want to get out of this life get out, those who want to make it a lifestyle decide that this is how they want to live.
In thinking about REBUILDING MY LIFE, i have to consider what I am trying to rebuild it into. Everyday that I stand on the corner taking donations for the shelter I see hundreds of cars passing by and most people seem miserable as they drive to and from work and other obligations.
I'm standing there in the hot sun with a smile on my face and they seem angry with me for asking for donations when they are miserably making a living to take care of themselves and have shelter.
Do I want that?
No.
I am the type of person who chooses happiness over stability because I know that stability is an illusion. I hope to be able to experience luxury and financial freedom one day but I have to be sure to realize the peace of enlightenment that is discovered when you finally realize that happiness comes from within.
It isn't a car or a job or a mate or a group of friends. Happiness is a choice.
That is why even in this homeless shelter that I am living in, everyday I see people fall in love, get drunk, have fun, smile and argue just like everyone else.
If they desperately wanted to join the rat race for shelter, they would. If they had someone to lean on, they would. I believe that the people here would prefer to be more comfortable and if they could, they would, but they lack the drive to do more because their habits are more important to them.
How do you kick a habit that is seemingly destroying your life? From the addicts that I spoke with, they had to find something that was more important than their addiction. They had to find something that they valued more and they knew they could lose in order to finally let go of the drug or alcohol.
People are generally generous. There are entire organizations dedicated to helping those who seem to be less fortunate. When I spoke with the man today who had dedicated the better part of his life to helping the homeless i asked him, "Why do this when you know that most homeless people you meet don't really want to do things differently?"
"Out of 10 people who are homeless, there is ONE who may really want the help," he said. "I do it for them."
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
REBUILD: Most Homeless People Want To Be Homeless
1 comments:
Ok how do I get my Lazy Stepdaughter off the streets?? She is not on drugs but she is eating herself to death. We picked her up and she is so big she cant walk far.. She wants to be homeless, she dont have to work, she still gets over 200 a month in food stamps and gets all name brand clothes.. How is this fair that we want to work and homeless people who want to be that way live and eat better than us who do what we should.. She has worried my husband until it is killing him and she don't care. What to do about that??????????????
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