For those of you who are coming from my What’s A Dollar blog, this is where all new posts will go. I’m in the process of migrating all posts and images to this new site.
I’ve always had an affinity towards homeless people. Whenever I see them, I always want to sit and talk with them. It all started at 10 years old when I took my first trip to Los Angeles. Believe it or not, I had never seen a homeless person before and it was here that I first encountered one. He was panhandling with a styrofoam cup and I, being 10 and having no money, gave him the two pieces of candy I had in my pocket. Though it wasn’t money and probably made him more hungry than he already was, he was extremely grateful and I’ve had a soft spot for homeless people ever since.
Now, with a psych degree under my belt, my compassion for the homeless is accompanied by my fascination for their lives. How did they get into their current situation? What are they doing to better their lives? How do they survive? What were they doing before they were homeless? Whenever I can, I will sit and talk with any homeless person willing to talk to me. Often times, I’m afraid to even make eye-contact with some of them. A large portion of the homeless population suffer from some form of schizophrenia or manic-depressive disorder and, no joke, it could be dangerous to approach them.
The ones that I do get to sit and talk with all have amazing stories to tell. At the end of the day, aren’t they just like you and me? So why are they so often ostracized by society? Is it because they are dirty? Or because they smell? What is the reluctance in giving them a small hand-out? Are you afraid that they will spend it on drugs or alcohol? I’ll be honest, I rarely give money to the homeless as I see a donation of my time and/or food a better choice for both parties.
The more time I spend with homeless people, the more I realize that they are indeed just like you and me. Their desires, their flaws, their vices, their dreams… are the same ones that you and I have. The only difference is that some drastic event happened in their lives that created their current circumstance… drastic events that neither you nor I are immune from, whatever they may be. Have you ever stopped and asked yourself why they are dirty, why they smell, why they’re asking for a hand-out, and why they would possibly spend all their money on drugs or alcohol?
In no way am I glorifying or exploiting the homeless, instead I hope to shed a light on lives that are so often neglected and looked down upon. I’m sure many of you have had the same curiosities… just consider this blog as me doing all the dirty work for you. Enjoy.
I do have a soft spot for the homeless too and like to engage into conversations with them sometimes. But when you write you realize that they are people like you and me with their desires, fears etc. I just had to think DOH! 
Of course they are people like you and me with the same fears, desires etc. – we are all human and share the same traits
by yeahmanh
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