There are a variety of reasons why people avoid interpersonal
contact with homeless people on the streets.
They range from an addiction to the inner voice of
fear to physical
appearance, to the strong scent of body odor, to signs of mental
illness, to the stigma of labeling homeless people as “Bums,”
“Panhandlers,” “Social De-Generates,” etc.
What is missing by focusing, exclusively, on the homeless is
how those judgments keep ordinary people from confronting their own
emotional inner homelessness.
It’s a form of human displacement that fits people who live
in comfortable houses, but feel unrest and unhappiness living there,
even with others.
The following ideas are intended to inspire people to re-think old
ways of avoiding homeless people. They are framed in the context of
a wisdom saying: we do not
see things the way they are, we see things the way we are.
These suggestions invite you to focus on how the
homeless might help you uncover some new self-discoveries about more
meaningful ways of engaging all people.
1.
Look at the homeless person as a
human being first. With the eye of your heart see their need be
treated with respect and decency, despite their physical appearance.
2.
Introducing yourself to a
homeless stranger by your first name is not just “etiquette” but
practicing human dignity.
3.
If a homeless person is standing
outside a coffee or pastry shop, be bold and invite them in to order
their own preference as you do.
4.
Whenever you stop at a fast-food
restaurant, order a gift certificate to share with a homeless person
on the street or at an intersection while you’re waiting for a
traffic light to change.
5.
Keep bottled water in your car so
homeless people can stay hydrated just like you.
6.
If you take time to listen to a
homeless person’s story, and if you own a business, you may discover
that homeless person has skills or enthusiasm needed in your
workplace. Offering them
a job lifts up their dignity as well as your own.
In the words of Mark Twain:
The best way to cheer
yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.
7.
Listening to a homeless person
tell the story behind the words on a cardboard sign, may inspire you
to re-write the words on your sign, hidden inside.
Spoiler alert: we
all carry signs. The
signs of the homeless are visible.
The signs of the emotionally displaced living in houses are
invisible.
8.
If you practice the Christian
religion, the image of a
Good Samaritan is a good role model for putting your religion
into practice.
9.
The virtue of
compassion is the best way to “suffer with” someone less
fortunate in order to ease the burden of carrying your own
sufferings.
10.
If you put a smile on the face of
a homeless person, you walk away noticing a smile on your heart.