That Could Be Me

 

I think we all have empathy.

We may not have enough courage to display it.

                                   Maya Angelou

 

During the last few months, in our community and around the country, the homeless population has grown dramatically. As a result, more and more people are using online platforms and public meetings to complain that the presence of people living on the streets is having a negative impact on their lives. Many are fearful about the strangers who come into their neighborhood, seeing all of them as potentially dangerous. Of course, they want to feel safe for themselves and their families.

It becomes easy to see homeless people as dangerous and to blame them for the situation they are in. When we do that, we don’t consider the economic and societal conditions that make it impossible for many people to stay in their homes and, in many cases, to get the medical and mental health support that they need.

There are many sides to this issue, and if we will ever resolve it as a society, we need to take all sides into consideration and come together to create solutions that meet everyone’s needs. Government alone cannot create the needed services without the support of the community.

The solutions are not easy, but if we really want to live in a safe community, we all need be part of the solution – at least in the way we view each other. Seeing another person as disposable is not a good starting point.

We need to begin by seeing that each person is doing the best he or she can:

• the person living on the street who is struggling to survive without basic necessities,
• the homeowner concerned about her safety and that of her children, 
• the drug addict who is living in the prison of the addiction that controls his life,
• the politicians doing the best they know how to respond to this overwhelming crisis.

So how do we switch from our judgments to a more compassionate view?

When I see someone on the street who is clearly struggling, or I see someone behaving in a way that I don’t approve of, I could judge him …

Or I could see him through a kindness lens.

I could think, “That could be me.”

I could ask myself:

• If I had been born into the life that she was born into, who would I be now?
• What would my childhood have been like?
• What opportunities did I have that he did not have?
• What support systems that I have had, did she not have?
• What mental or physical disabilities does he have?
• What economic disruption in her life made it impossible to stay in her home?
• What natural talents was he born with that his life path did not enable him to develop, so he is not now enjoying the expression of those talents and being supported by them?
• Did he have anyone supporting and loving him as he grew up, or was he on his own, even as a child, to figure out how to survive in this world?

I don’t know the answer to any of these questions, but the answers would help me to understand why he is showing up in the world now in the way that he is.

Those answers would open my heart and enable me to see him as another myself – another soul expressing in a human body– wanting to be seen and accepted, wanting to be loved and to express love, wanting all his basic needs to be met so he could have the space in his life to become the greatest expression of himself.

I think of the people in my life who supported and loved me and helped me to become the person I am. Who would I be today if his life path had been the one given to me?

So, when I say to myself, “That could be me,” I open a space within me to love him rather than judging him. I find a way to reach out with compassion and show him kindness. 

Who knows what impact a simple act of kindness will have on his life – or on mine?

Perhaps our encounter will be a blessing for both of us.

The next step is up to me.

In this powerful video, Rex Hohlbein shares the story of his joy and wonder when he stepped out of his comfort zone and discovered the beauty and humanity of homeless folks in his community.

I hope it will touch your heart as much as it did ours.

Facing Homelessness - Rex Hohlbein - TEDxRainier

 

What are your thoughts?  Please leave a comment below.

 

Help us spread the message of kindness. 

If you know others who might appreciate these ideas, please share below.

 

We’re grateful that you are on this journey with us.

With love from our hearts to yours,

Pat and Larry