HELP
Every morning, there’s at least one person pacing along the center median on the corner of Venice and Sepulveda. They’re always holding a sign across their chest, providing passersby with phrases like “Need Food,” “Praise the Lord,” or “Homeless – Will work for food.” Today was an aberration, though.
This morning, the letters H, E, L, and P were plastered in caps across a sign held by a man, and it immediately got me thinking. Why HELP?
Through the years, I’ve had various encounters with the homeless. I’ve read articles, watched interviews, and talked with some when they’ve ask me for change; but each time, I always leave with the same feeling. There are tons of jobs in this world, and while they might not be glamorous, they pay a lot better than what someone will make with their feet stuck to the street. Then again, do you think the homeless are really using the money they’re given for food or rent?
I know it’s a common thread, but is it hard to believe that the homeless are boozing up with your money? Using it for drugs, perhaps? Think about it. Whenever they venture into a fast food restaurant, they ask you to buy them food. Sometimes they’re nice about it, other times they’re not. I’ve experienced both a handful of times, so I’ll just leave it at that.
A few years ago, I heard a story about the president of a corporation who stopped next to a homeless man and offered him a job. Instead of graciously accepting, the homeless man asked if the president had $20. I'm far from naive, but this goes to show that if someone’s looking to provide for himself or herself in the long run, they’ll take the job. If they're looking for a quick fix, they’ll ask for a 20.
On the other side of the fence, there are the men and women who are trying to rebuild their lives after some event that took their savings. Albeit losing a job, losing a marriage, or losing their on-going battle with another big four-letter word: luck. But at the same time, I must say that after all the run-ins I've had with the homeless, I've rarely found a person who asks me for a job. Have you?
So there I was...sitting in my car on the way to work, staring at this guy who’s asking for help. All of us need to be helped in some way. Imagine a scene that calls for all of us to make a sign that reads of our needs. People lose their jobs every day; people get kicked out of their houses every day; people fall from their horses every single day.
If someone asked you to make a sign so that others would know what you’re in need of, what would it say?
Maybe HELP is speaking for all of us. Or, could it be a cry for one's sub-culture?
This morning, the letters H, E, L, and P were plastered in caps across a sign held by a man, and it immediately got me thinking. Why HELP?
Through the years, I’ve had various encounters with the homeless. I’ve read articles, watched interviews, and talked with some when they’ve ask me for change; but each time, I always leave with the same feeling. There are tons of jobs in this world, and while they might not be glamorous, they pay a lot better than what someone will make with their feet stuck to the street. Then again, do you think the homeless are really using the money they’re given for food or rent?
I know it’s a common thread, but is it hard to believe that the homeless are boozing up with your money? Using it for drugs, perhaps? Think about it. Whenever they venture into a fast food restaurant, they ask you to buy them food. Sometimes they’re nice about it, other times they’re not. I’ve experienced both a handful of times, so I’ll just leave it at that.
A few years ago, I heard a story about the president of a corporation who stopped next to a homeless man and offered him a job. Instead of graciously accepting, the homeless man asked if the president had $20. I'm far from naive, but this goes to show that if someone’s looking to provide for himself or herself in the long run, they’ll take the job. If they're looking for a quick fix, they’ll ask for a 20.
On the other side of the fence, there are the men and women who are trying to rebuild their lives after some event that took their savings. Albeit losing a job, losing a marriage, or losing their on-going battle with another big four-letter word: luck. But at the same time, I must say that after all the run-ins I've had with the homeless, I've rarely found a person who asks me for a job. Have you?
So there I was...sitting in my car on the way to work, staring at this guy who’s asking for help. All of us need to be helped in some way. Imagine a scene that calls for all of us to make a sign that reads of our needs. People lose their jobs every day; people get kicked out of their houses every day; people fall from their horses every single day.
If someone asked you to make a sign so that others would know what you’re in need of, what would it say?
Maybe HELP is speaking for all of us. Or, could it be a cry for one's sub-culture?
posted by rollbook at 11:36 AM
3 Comments:
just imagine... if one a day, a week , a month or even a year, we give that man some HELP. Maybe 10 cents, maybe 10 bucks? maybe a how are ya today???
maybe we should make sign that say compassion
help does speak for all of us. why else would the beatles have penned this?:
help me if you can, i'm feeling down,
and i do appreciate you being round.
help me, get my feet back on the ground,
won't you please, please help me?
great thoughts! i wonder how people would react to a sign that differs from help, like compassion. and maybe there could even be some car that drives around with positive/provoking words and music to match, like the beatles.
maybe that could affect even one person for a day...thanks for reading.
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