Possessions as Social Capital

[dmc]

What a solid you did for that teen. My parents took in a friend from high school under similar circumstances. It made a big difference in his life, but the influence didn't show up till some years later. He credited his time in our basement as critical to his getting on a road that was much more productive. I hope that was also true for the teen you housed.

Regarding the homeless dude in Key West, I wonder how one would assess what choice meant for him?

He was there because every choice he had made prior put him there. I would think he made poor choices, but they were his. At least it was warm. He was an eyesore though, he was just sleeping on the ground at a park.

[redfox]

He was there because every choice he had made prior put him there. I would think he made poor choices, but they were his. At least it was warm. He was an eyesore though, he was just sleeping on the ground at a park.

You are aware of all of his prior choices? And, you actually consider the sight of another human being as "an eyesore"? I've never heard this!

[pinkytoe]

The one thing I bring with me from my Catholic upbringing is the line "there but for the grace of God go I". I am no longer religious in that sense but I have lived long enough to see that bad things can happen to anyone regardless of status, education and or career. It isn't always about bad choices. I believe that kindness and empathy is one of our greatest possessions but it is really hard for some people to grasp without judging

[bae]

We had a homeless man in the village here last week. He was sleeping in lobbies of some of the small stores in town, after hours, because it was cold, icy, and snowing, and he apparently had no local knowledge. A complete stranger to all in the community. Looked a bit rougher than the local homeless-by-choice folks.

He turned out to be an unregistered sex offender, a child predator, who had made the *choice* to somehow get to the mainland ferry terminal from his release point, and the choice to spend $$$ to buy a ferry ticket for the 90 minute boat ride out here, then the *choice* to hitchhike or walk the 10 miles from the dock to the village, and then the *choice* to camp out in the middle of 5-6 schools and preschools.

I'm not sure why he made the *choice* to get all the way out here. I have some theories though.

[redfox]

The one thing I bring with me from my Catholic upbringing is the line "there but for the grace of God go I". I am no longer religious in that sense but I have lived long enough to see that bad things can happen to anyone regardless of status, education and or career. It isn't always about bad choices. I believe that kindness and empathy is one of our greatest possessions but it is really hard for some people to grasp without judging

Indeed. I too have had the blessings in life to have several major crises happen to me. House fire, divorce, drug addiction in my immediate family, cancer, huge financial struggles. All have given me the gift of understanding that bad things happen to good people, and that none of us has any clue what the road has been for anyone else.

Every time life presents its inevitable struggles, after a good cry & some time, I have come to feel grateful for the way my heart has broken open to all who have been and will be in similar circumstances. Rather than an eyesore, I view homeless people, in the words of Mother Theresa, as "Jesus in all His distressing disguises".

Though I'm not a Christian, I love this way of reframing those who cause us to want to turn away. Why do we do this? Why an eyesore? Perhaps because we're all so close to being abject in another's eyes, if not in actual reality. We all share the same life force and desires for love and happiness. Most especially the ill, hungry, exhausted, tattered man that we see by the roadside. There is a reason that every wisdom tradition venerates the least of us as being the Wise Crone or Man. I am sad for those who feel separated from life and cannot see our common humanity.

[JaneV2.0]

When my rightie cousin asked me why I was still a liberal after all these years, I replied "because I've seen what people go through." I didn't bother to ask him why he was still the way he was. I suppose I should have. I've made a lot of dumb decisions in my life; fortunately none of them led to homelessness.

[dmc]

You are aware of all of his prior choices? And, you actually consider the sight of another human being as "an eyesore"? I've never heard this!

I know that he chose to be spread out in the middle of a walkway were people had to walk around him. And he made the choice to be there. And yes he was an eyesore.

Obviously he made some poor choices somewhere along the line. But he did manage to be in Key West and not New York so I will give him that. Maybe he was exactly where he wanted to be. But he looked like hell to me.

[redfox]

What is the eyesore part, dmc? What is it about him that makes you want to turn away?

[dmc]

What is the eyesore part, dmc? What is it about him that makes you want to turn away?

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/eyesore

He was filthy, unkept, you could smell him as you had to walk around him. It was a lovely park. We were not there very long, hopefully someone came along and made him move.

[reader99]

Unless DMC is suggesting that one person can house all the thousands of homeless people, other people's money, or other people's houses, are going to have to get involved. One caring person can make a lot of difference, but one person can't house hundreds.