The Things I Wish I'd Said
Posted 07-25-2009 at 07:17 AM by LookinForMayberry
Yesterday while walking Burlington, VT's commercial district, I looked down and noticed a young man reclined against the wall of a building with his feet out in the walkway, begging. Bemused, I asked him why a strapping young man like himself was begging, rather than out working.
He replied that one had to eat before one could work. Odd, but that wasn't how I'd learned about life.
I walked on, but the situation remained with me. I was feeling pretty irritated, and now wish I'd gone back to continue the conversation. Yes, I know it's best that I did not, but still -- I WISH I had.
What I wish I'd said:
Then again, probably not, but I would've felt better.
He replied that one had to eat before one could work. Odd, but that wasn't how I'd learned about life.
I walked on, but the situation remained with me. I was feeling pretty irritated, and now wish I'd gone back to continue the conversation. Yes, I know it's best that I did not, but still -- I WISH I had.
What I wish I'd said:
- How would your mother feel about her strong, capable son begging on sidewalks?
- In my day, men did not beg.
- You've got a healthy body and a strong back -- get off your butt and go use them.
- If you expect the world to feed you, you have a long life of suffering ahead.
Then again, probably not, but I would've felt better.
Total Comments 2
Comments
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Even the bible says that those who won't work cannot share in the food. Yet the opposite of that is that farmers were required to leave their fields fallow every 7th year for the poor and disabled. To me that means to give 1/7th of my income to support the poor, but totally ignore those who won't work.
We unfortunately have many young people on the streets today that just are not brave enough to suck it up and work. I recently read a blog from a young homeless person who wanted to relocate from Austin to Santa Barbara. He was asking questions like do the rich downtown actually hand out $20.00 bills and is the food at the shelter good and fresh or is it poor and how about the accommodations at the shelter. What was he doing interviewing for a resort?
You have been away from WA for a while and in the last year there are many people who are living in their trailers because they lost their homes. They are not begging on the streets. They are trying to figure out how to get their lives back together. These are the important people we need to support if we are able.Posted 07-25-2009 at 07:52 PM by yukiko11
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These are the important people we need to support if we are able.
I agree, Yukiko. I graduated from highschool in MI, when the auto industry was first struck by the competition with Asia and rising fuel costs. My family had no funds for my college education, people were sleeping in their cars. I had no car, but I found a boarding house, rented a room (no bath), and walked to two jobs to afford my food and rent. There were times that I prayed in wonder to God, "What the heck am I supposed to do here?"
If you watch any wildlife, you see that they have only as many children as they can care for that their habitat will support. Then they TEACH them how to survive. At the point of their physical maturity, they get pushed away, and make it -- or not.
We seem to teach our young how to push buttons to gain useless stimulation. Push a remote for stupid entertainment; push a microwave for instant food with no nutrition.
That lazy kid on the street was pushing our charity button. If his mother isn't ashamed of him, SHE should be slapped.Posted 07-26-2009 at 03:23 AM by LookinForMayberry
