Seeing the less fortunate makes me realize how lucky I am
About a week or so ago I was in Westwood Village for therapy. There's a Borders there and although I'm mostly a Barnes & Noble girl, I went in because their hot chocolate=orgasmic joy. It was raining and windy and cold so I got it as a way to warm myself. I was walking towards my therapist (Steve) and I see a homeless man. He kept asking people for money so he could get a hot drink or something hot to eat. These people either completely ignored him, sneered at him, or accused him of using the money for drugs. I'm always upset when I see the homeless treated like that. Yes some use the money for drugs but not all do! He was against a building, out of the direct rain but he was still wet and most likely cold from the wind. Well, I had used up the last of my cash on my hot chocolate but I felt just awful since I would have given him money if I could. I went back to Borders and ordered him a hot bagel and a coffee and went and gave it to him. Let me tell you, he was so thankful, that was the greatest reward I think. I was happy to help him, I didn't have the money so I got him the food.
The way this country treats the homeless is criminal. I know a lot of countries treat them like dirt but it's still horrible! The USA likes to consider itself very forward and advanced all things but really, we aren't. Yeah we're ahead in some stuff but we aren't the world's perfect country. I'm as patriotic as the next guy, I listen to patriotic songs and I celebrate Independence Day. That doesn't make me blind to our many faults though. We have a really crappy health system, our Justice system needs a lot of work, and our treatment to the elderly, disabled, and homeless is downright horrible.
It's considered a crime for a homeless person to lay in Beverly Hills. If a Beverly Hills cop catches a homeless person lying somewhere they will arrest them, how dare he scuff up the shiny Beverly Hill streets! It's technically illegal in the city of LA but a lot of cops look the other way. Regan really screwed them up when he shut down all those facilities. We have homeless people on the street with certain mental disabilities that cannot help themselves and this country doesn't seem to want to help them! The homeless that do want to help themselves have a horribly difficult time doing so. I always see people refusing them business, even if they have money! Everywhere I go I see an employee escorting them out of the coffee shop or wherever simply because they are homeless and thus "look dirty". I do see some beautiful acts of kindness though which lifts my heart. A family friend, who owns a pizza joint five minutes from here, is an example. If a homeless person comes in they will serve him if he has the money. If he doesn't? They give him a few slices of pizza and a bottled Snapple. It's not much but it's filling and it counts. I've heard of hotels in really cold areas doing there part. They would give the homeless a room for the winter if he would do work for them. They would have him work as maintenance, janitorial, or kitchen duty and in return he gets a room, hot meals, a warm bed, and a bathroom during the winter months. That lifts my spirit and makes me remember that humanity does have a hope.
My father was wonderful to the homeless. Downtown LA has many of them and he helped every one he saw, either by giving them money, getting them a hot meal, or even offering them advice to help themselves. At his funeral I saw about 50 homeless people who caught buses to go to the funeral of a man that went out of his way to help them. I thought it was astoundingly beautiful and I'd like to think I picked up my father's sense of morals and humanity.
It can be a lot worse I know, but it can be better. I hope the country..the world improves in human rights. *sigh*
Thus ends my rant and musings.
The way this country treats the homeless is criminal. I know a lot of countries treat them like dirt but it's still horrible! The USA likes to consider itself very forward and advanced all things but really, we aren't. Yeah we're ahead in some stuff but we aren't the world's perfect country. I'm as patriotic as the next guy, I listen to patriotic songs and I celebrate Independence Day. That doesn't make me blind to our many faults though. We have a really crappy health system, our Justice system needs a lot of work, and our treatment to the elderly, disabled, and homeless is downright horrible.
It's considered a crime for a homeless person to lay in Beverly Hills. If a Beverly Hills cop catches a homeless person lying somewhere they will arrest them, how dare he scuff up the shiny Beverly Hill streets! It's technically illegal in the city of LA but a lot of cops look the other way. Regan really screwed them up when he shut down all those facilities. We have homeless people on the street with certain mental disabilities that cannot help themselves and this country doesn't seem to want to help them! The homeless that do want to help themselves have a horribly difficult time doing so. I always see people refusing them business, even if they have money! Everywhere I go I see an employee escorting them out of the coffee shop or wherever simply because they are homeless and thus "look dirty". I do see some beautiful acts of kindness though which lifts my heart. A family friend, who owns a pizza joint five minutes from here, is an example. If a homeless person comes in they will serve him if he has the money. If he doesn't? They give him a few slices of pizza and a bottled Snapple. It's not much but it's filling and it counts. I've heard of hotels in really cold areas doing there part. They would give the homeless a room for the winter if he would do work for them. They would have him work as maintenance, janitorial, or kitchen duty and in return he gets a room, hot meals, a warm bed, and a bathroom during the winter months. That lifts my spirit and makes me remember that humanity does have a hope.
My father was wonderful to the homeless. Downtown LA has many of them and he helped every one he saw, either by giving them money, getting them a hot meal, or even offering them advice to help themselves. At his funeral I saw about 50 homeless people who caught buses to go to the funeral of a man that went out of his way to help them. I thought it was astoundingly beautiful and I'd like to think I picked up my father's sense of morals and humanity.
It can be a lot worse I know, but it can be better. I hope the country..the world improves in human rights. *sigh*
Thus ends my rant and musings.