Life is funny at times.
This past weekend, Boston was host to a Project Bread "Walk for Hunger." Some of my students and friends walked the 20 miles and I was a financial sponsor for a few people walking it. It's a great cause, and I was really excited to be able to support!
And then tonight, as I was walking to a campus, a homeless man holding left-over fliers from the walk asked if I would be willing to give him a few dollars, quipping that it was for an "post-event dinner" from the walk for hunger. I smiled and shook his hand, looked in his eyes, said truthfully "I am so sorry, I have no cash." He thanked me for my smile and handshake, and I walked away.
Same cause, middle man eliminated.
We are funny people at times. We prefer to keep our hands clean while "fighting for a cause." It is much safer to give money to a cause than to a person. It is much more sanitary and clean-cut to donate electronically than to give of our time or to a buy a burger for someone. We like pictures of needy people, but given our druthers, in real life, we find our shoelaces far more attractive than their faces.
I claim no superiority here. I am guilty as charged. And I don't fully know what the right answer, the right way to care well is... to give money directly or not... to buy a hamburger or not... to sit and talk or not... Is it enabling or is it helping? Is it dangerous to me or loving to them? I'm wrestling. I don't know. I think in some ways it's both and. There's a lot that I don't know; that I'm still wrestling to rest comfortably in.
But I do know this much: the very very least that I can do, is lift my eyes from my shoelaces and look my brothers and sisters in the eyes, and smile. The very least that I can do is treat them like human beings, not just objects along the road.
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4 comments:
Good point, as usual. I find that so hard to do, often.
Have you seen the movie The Soloist yet? I'm really curious how they handle that question, and I've heard good reviews...
I had this same exact experience and thought last week while running into a homeless man. Well said and stated, Kristen! I've grown up my whole life being told that giving money to said people make things worse, and that all they will most likely do is go buy their fix or cigarettes with my money. But it is SO TRUE that my mindset and heart could use a fix-up. So many times I try to shuffle past, or put my head down, hoping no one will come up to me and ask for my help. May God convict me in such times, and may we all learn to know what it is to love in such encounters.
"in real life, we find our shoelaces far more attractive than their faces." well said. really good post, and really good questions, with very few really good answers. i've been thinking about this a lot lately, and I"m sure i'll be thinking about it even more when I move into my intentional living situation in Seattle, where we will hopefully be rubbing shoulders with the homeless often.
not completely related, but i thought you might find this article interesting. some interesting thoughts on "enabling".
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/313091_alcoholics26.html
thought-provoking post... and I like the link ambarbee included as well.
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