As I get older, I understand more how easy it is to become homeless and sympathize more with those that don’t have a home. I especially feel bad for them during the winter nights or snow or rain. If I have it on my person, I will give a homeless person a dollar, a roll of crackers, or an unopened water bottle just to make things a little better for them. I am always surprised to learn that even the smallest gestures can have such a great impact. For example, I was leaving a bubble-tea shop with me friend when a woman at a bus stop called for my attention. She explained that her phone died and they she would appreciate it if I called her shelter to let them know she was on her way in order to reserve her bed for the night. After my two minute conversation, I told the lady the person on the phone said everything will be okay. She was so thankful and wished me and my friend a wonderful, blessed evening. I had never done something like that for anyone before, but the feeling it gave me made me smile. Sometimes it just takes giving someone the time of day for them to have somewhere warm and safe to sleep.
Although I believe that as human beings we should all help one another, I would be lying if I said I treat all homeless people equally. I absolutely hate it when homeless people approach individual persons waiting on a subway platform. It’s never a coincidence that the homeless men only approach women when they are begging for money or food. The gesture doesn’t make me feel lucky or flattered, rather I feel threatened, targeted, and cornered. I know I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but any homeless person that looks like he or she take drugs or anyone that seems to be pretending to be homeless doesn’t get sympathy or money either. I understand that during the winter the homeless tend to find warmth in the trains, but I find it inconvenient when they take up a significant amount of the cart with their carts and luggage and spread across an entire bench of seats. Overall, I try my best to see an individual as a person and not as their situation. No one is immune to homelessness and it is a part of life that no one should be allowed to ignore.
