I doubt that you'll EVER read this, Sean, since the last time I saw you you had nothing to your name but a stubbly cigarette, but I feel the need to send you a message nonetheless.
I'm that tiny girl with the over-sized camera that sat next to you outside the homeless shelter. I was doing a documentary photography project for school, remember? I asked you if you were camera shy?
Anyway, I wanted to let you know that your pictures turned out fantastic; I have one on my wall actually--but not in a closet-shrine kind of way, don't worry. Basically, I stuck your portrait on my wall so that you would stare me down every day--flashing the tattoos on your knuckles--forcing me to acknowledge your existence. Where are you, by the way? Did you make it to California? Or are you sleeping on the same sidewalks where I left you?
I wonder about your whereabouts, looking at that picture. And I'm not going to lie: you were a sort of shady character. I mean, you were SO young, yet so undeniably suspicious and squint-eyed. If I was a braver--or perhaps more reckless--person, I would have asked you to breakfast, offered you the spare bedroom in my house, anything. I wouldn't have left you alone until I was certain your load was lessened in some way.
You see, I feel guilty that I just snapped your picture and left. But I comforted myself with the truth that photography IS a way of helping the homeless...Showing the pictures to my family, my friends, my teachers, I could see their eyes widen at the sight of you, and their mouths twist into that guilty/angry/sympathetic grimace. But here's the most horrible part: the vision of you faded! Hearts panged for you, but we all returned to our comfortably furnished homes and forgot. Even me, with your face on my wall.
I don't think we fail to act because we're cruel people. No, it's just...most of America--and humanity for that matter--is complacent. Apathetic. Meaning well, but doing nothing. Does that disappoint you? Sean, if you were off the streets, with all that you needed, would you fail to take action as well?
I think I already know your answer, but I still wish I could ask you in person. I worry about you, but I don't worry about you enough.
I think it's about time to come find you.
I'll see you soon.
i ll be nice because i dont want to make a personal attack, you kind of think differnetly than the normal person would, but thats good. it makes you different. but anyway, i dont care about the homeless, im mean i pay for them in my taxes, and everyday when i buy one lunch in subway. i do try to help. but im only one person.
I think that it was an amazing blog, and im not sure what that last person meant by your not like the normal person or w/e. i think its nice that you can think, even if just briefly about homeless people and people who are less fortunate than you. I love your point of view. its nice to know that there are other people out there who have not forgotten about what is important in this world. . . the only thing important in this world is the people in it. bless you.
This blog really struck a cord for me because I have also had a project where I went out to photograph the homeless and it also affected me more strongly than I would have predicted.
*applause*
I plan to do street outreach as part of my college work next semester. :D
This was a great post. Not only was your topic relevant, but your execution was so creative. I agree with you, people are terrible complacent, despite good intentions. The question is, how much can one person do? And furthermore, where does one draw the line between the energy one expends to help others and the energy necessary to take care of him/herself?
People only start to worry about helping others when their basic material needs are met, but in the case of this country, the difference between need and want are blurred by a culture that judges one's happiness and others' success on material wealth. Always starving for MORE MORE MORE, we lose sight of that boundary between our own needs and waste the energy we could have spent on helping others on our own material collection.
-A^2
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/redwhitebluegreen
I agree with you A^2. Most people are unconcerned with helping others; instead, they focus more on their personal gains. We all have been selfish. As Americans, we view happiness as being wealthy-having a $1 million home and driving 10 cars. However, people in need, such as the homeless, realize happiness is not monetary. They are happy when they have a hot meal and a roof over their head. I think we should all learn this lesson. Maybe if people did, then we would spend less time on material items and more time helping others.
"A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell."
C. S. Lewis
I'm not trying to hijack the post at all, but you asked what one person can do...I recently posted some ideas, and more importantly, the people who commented on it had some great suggestions. It isn't much...but it is something real and tangible. Here's the link:
http://www.progressiveu.org/145802-yes-you-can-help-homeless-one-powerba...
And if EVERYONE started doing what little they can to help, well, then that wouldn't be just one person, would it? That's what I hope to get across.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
A person should do as much as they can do. Material objects will fade and wither when we die. But our good deeds will be a living legend to our life and how we influenced others.
I really loved your blog! It was very relavent and relatable. I agree that most of America is complacent. We see ourselves doing so well and see how easy it is for us to make a living, but we never acknowledge the struggles of others around us. We feel like our problems are what hold us back from helping others. I hope you find him.
I love the descriptive words you use in this to capture your readers. It was truely an amazing peice. Ive never really thought too much into the lives of the homless people I see on the streets. I lived in Manhattan so long, its almost like they just fade into their surroundings. This peice made me want to go out and really take the time to notice them, well done.
--elisabeth
This is a thought-provoking subject presented in a very compelling manner. Your viewpoint on this makes it much more personal to those reading it. It's so true that we feel bad when we see pictures of the homeless or pass by them on the street. We feel like we should do something but then we go home and forget about it. We will probably never know what happened to that person who sparked our sympathy and we'll never try to find out.
Sometimes I think that this is because the problem of homelessness seems so vast that we don't think we can really do anything to help without depressing ourselves further with our lack of power. By bringing it down to a personal level, the problem can seem more manageable and more personal. By that token, photography does help, so kudos on doing something about it.
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You must be the change you wish to see in the world -- Mahatma Ghandi
Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress. --Mahatma Gandhi
My Blog: http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/kablock
There's a group in Minneapolis that works with homeless youth, helping them develop, exhibit, and sell art. It is therapeutic for them, gives them a connection to the community, and raises awareness. Here's a link to the Kulture Klub Collaborative:
http://www.kultureklub.org/press.html
And here's a link to an exhibit with a similar mission:
http://www.mpls.lib.mn.us/releases.asp?item=homeless
Maybe someday you could teach photography to homeless youth?
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
You are a great writer! I really enjoyed reading this!
This reminded me of when I was younger. I saw a homeless woman pushing a grocery cart full of pop cans and I asked my mom if I could give her my candy bar that I bought with my allowance.
We jsut drove off
I cried
Always remeber to Live Long and Laugh Hard
I love this blog! Wow...great work
Great reminder of what is important!
gave me goose bumps, so true about how we are complacent and he probably is too.
What you said is sadly true. We live so comfortably in our little worlds that we forget about the less unfortunate. And its not that humankind is evil, we just try so hard to avoid emotional issues such as this so we try our best to look away, to avoid depression.
I once had to take pictures of the homeless for my senior project, but I was to ashamed and frightened so I took pictures will in the car.
It is really catchy thing, you don't normally understand this people, but they are no worse than we are. Thanks for this piece of writing, for putting your soul in it. I think he'll appriciate it!
Having been to San Francisco, and living in Los Angeles for awhile, I've seen many homeless people. I can only remember a few times when I stopped to give these people extra food, or bottles of water that we had in the car. Your blog brings about the question of how we all look after ourselves, and when we can, we do find ways to help those in need. Fact to the matter is, our own lives come first. I'm sure if most of the world were rich maybe we'd all be able to find the sources to give to those in need more often (I hope so anyway). Great post! :)
this is a great post.
i'm one of those people who has always wanted to have a conversation with a homeless person.
I love this post it is the greatest. I have talked to a homeless person before and it amazing to waht they see and hear..Kinda crazy..BUT AWESOME POST!
I like your ideas. One thing I see everyday is that anyone can point out the all of the problems with society and in the world, yet nobody is willing to take initiative to develop solutions. I am guilty as well; if I gave half the time I spend griping about stupid things to others I could be great.
This was really good!
Have you read the book The Irresistible Revolution?
Some of it talks about putting a face on homelessness, and how it makes it irresistible to help. This seems to be the case here.
Once you put your foot in the door, there's no turning back.
This is so true. I remember going to D.C. with my family when I was in elementary school. That was the first time I ever saw a homeless person. I felt genuinely curious, like most kids (probably) would've, and I felt horrible that I was out there walking by numerous people who didn't have a house to sleep in and I was snacking on a bag of chips...
and I also remember hearing that some people choose to be homeless. I didn't understand it then and I'm not sure that I ever will understand it. And I'm sure that situations vary from person to person.
I do believe you're the first person that I've heard of(?) to ever actually voice a care for the homeless.
At least, you're the first person with a passion about it that I took notice of. And I think that's amazing (the passion, that is)
www.progressiveu.org/blog/toriavic
This was a very interesting point you made, but I was struck by the phrase "most of America". Interesting that you should choose to singularly focus on the U.S.(which I assume you actually meant by America, as most citizens of the U.S. tend to do), considering how few homeless there really are in the U.S.
Please, don't get me wrong here, I'm not at all trying to criticize you for this. I can understand completely. You write about what you know. I just want to bring in my own view of it, which I only have because I was lucky enough to be able to live outside the U.S. these past two years. Otherwise, I would surely write from your same point of view.
Anyways, living in a Less Developed Country in Africa, I'm struck with more than just the occasional scruffy old homeless man drinking from a paper bag or reaching out a mug for spare change. I can't leave my house without poverty and homelessness knocking on my window, and I mean that quite literally. At every traffic light I find young children alone on the street begging for a coin, a bit of food, or the remains of the soda in our cup holder. Homeless men wander the streets with stacks of pirated dvd's for sale for $5 or offering to watch your parked car for the equivalent of a quarter. Blind women are led around the city by young girls, reaching out for some change to buy food.
Everyone I know here deals with this differently. It's basically impossible to just ignore here as people in the U.S. often due, thought that is the route that a few people forcefully take. Some of us give a spare coin or two to the occasional child. Some of us take our leftover food from restaurants in a doggy bag and give it to the homeless we see. Some deal with their guilt in extreme ways, by lashing out angrily or by dedicating as much time as possible to helping the organizations for the orphans or the sick. But after being here for a while, we almost all grow to realize that we won't be able to solve the issue in our time here, or even make much of a dent in it. That's the point where we make a decision: we can accept it and do our best to help at least a little, we can break our backs trying to change it still to avoid the guilt of continuing everyday life, or we can succumb to the guilt and develop culture shock.
The sad thing is the number of us who, once we've accepted it, basically learn to ignore it.
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Italian by birth, American by citizenship, Moçambicana pelo escolhe
Yeah, this is something I feel guilty about. I want to help others, really I do. However, the only times I really even think about it are the times when I see OTHERS taking a stand. That's probably how it is for a lot of people. The old "out of sight, out of mind" complex we have so much problem with.
That was very touching. Really opened my eyes to some things we really take for granted. I wish there was a way for him to know this. Keep up the great work!
It felt like a real part of you.
Thought provoking has been taken, but I agree. It reminds me, the photography of homeless people, of a project by Andres Serrano. In 1996, I believe, he took portraits of the homeless and juxtaposed them against pictures of the KKK. It was supposed to be a pretty powerful exhibit, and I'm dissapointed that I'm a generation off, although, from the pictures I've seen, it looks wonderful.
Elliott
www.youtube.com/MechanisticMoth
www.myspace.com/PseudoPsychicAccumulation
Your point really came through to me, it made me realize that the little things in life really do matter. It makes me thankful for what I have in my life. Your story had a moral and thats a great thing for a writer, it taught me that in life you must never hold back, and go with your gut. Like you regretted that you did not invite that guy to breakfast, I regret a lot of things, and this is a toast or what not, to make the best of my life, and to be who I want and to do what I want, no strings attached, and nothing holding me back! :)
Wow this is a great entry. This makes be grateful for the things I have around me and just be more aware of the homeless people in the subway and on the streets. They are human just like us and we never stopped to find out their personality, and what great people they might just be.
This was really touching. I want to see the picture you took of him. I hope you find/ have found him