homelessness is not a competition
This blog was meant to be a comment on the blog about the university students who chose to expose themselves to some first hand experiences with homelessness. But I can't find their blog.
I just want to say that your experiences certainly proved to be valuable, especially the compassion & empathy you came away with. But why subject yourselves to even more discomfort and greater danger? Homelessness was never meant to be a competition even though I also appreciate the comments about the violence & harassment that's a constant for the people who struggle to survive in the streets.
I too searched for a place on the street when I got to Toronto last summer because my budget barely covered 6 days at U. of T. dorms - that was a fortune & it's considered budget accomodation. But I was advised against it by one of the panhandlers I spoke to who assured me that it's "no fun" and another gent advised me to opt for a shelter for women & I'm glad I did.
You can find out enough about what it's like to be homeless by talking to people on the streets in addition to examining the reasons for systemic poverty & homelessness. If you focus specifically on the individual you may possibly fall prey to the notion that the homeless have orchestrated their own fate. I also realize that there are people who do prefer to be homeless than to participate in an unjust economic system & I applaud them. You might like to check out the CrimethInc website, published by this workers collective.
My point is essentially that the flaws lie with the economic system, not the people. And doing all the right things is no guarantee that anyone will or even can rise above such a brutal, antiquated economic system. Nor should anyone have to.
A wise person said that genius is as common as dirt. And it definitely gave me pause to reflect on the fact that we have not even begun to entertain the possibility of a society propelled by genius, innovation, autonomy, and heaven forbid, happiness.
The well being of humanity has obviously been religated to the scrap heap by the people who have all the power to make a significant difference in the lives of the people with a guaranteed liveable income for a start, administrated like OAP without the welfare industry. Certainly no one has any right to benefit from anyone elses misery!
personally, i have some issue, shall we say with this kind of thing.
i don't think a bunch of university students camping out on a street corner for 5 days is really going to have a realistic experience of homelessness, especially if they have an appartment and money in a bank account...
en tout ca,
i guess it's a good experience for them, but really, they should frame it differently...
what do you think???
-a
Power is given only to those who dare to lower themselves and pick it up. -Bakunin
I think I already explained it.
I have a problem with that power quote of yours. Explain it if you want.
It is not wise to lower oneself. One has to be really strong to live in poverty. And it's really important to know that you don't have to wait for anyone else to provide you with power or anything else. One has to learn what power is & to tap into it and to act on ones own behalf.
Skeletonwoman, hi. I've always interpreted the quote about power to be about humility. Not to lower one's self but to come to terms with our limitations as well as our strengths. Knowing and acknowledging our weaknesses is in itself a strength. Humility is to the soul what tempering is to the blade or the plow. Without humility we are out of balance and often out of control, just heading for the next disaster. This is just the way I see it and don't need to convince anyone else. I hope you're well and happy. Take care, Josef.
pretty experience as humble should be very valuable sometime
It is no big chalenge falling homeless but the vicious circle is then to find some way back caus' well after little of my own experience.
It's no way I could stay outside almost any weather ...
Anyhow when the time is getting better it is good to see the old bones still moving.
8-) best wich for hope faith and courage !
I guess it could be easy to get offended by that quote. But i see it as a comment on yes humility, also, the strength that ultimately results from being humble.
Actually, it seems i was mistaken, the quote is actually from Doestoievsky. Here is the full quote:
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Power is given only to those who dare to lower themselves and pick it up. Only one thing matters, one thing; to be able to dare!
FYODOR DOSTOEVSKY, Crime and Punishment
"If you want to kiss the sky, you better learn how to kneel."
Jimi Hendrix
About Hendrix's quote: it all depends of what you mean by the SKY and KNEEL because it actually sounds very sexual.
o.O
And if the "sky" (or hell) is taken as a simple metaphor of the feelings you get when you do drugs, well then Hendrix wanted to say something else with the "KNEEL"!
Huh!