Wisdom and Courage

by Renee
(Melbourne)

Today I wandered down to a local mission that serves free lunch to the needy, looking to meet some homeless people. I arrived after 2pm and most everyone had left, but a handful of people sat on the front porch socializing. I explained the Web of Miracles project and learned the best time to return to meet some homeless people, but as I conversed with the group I realized that there were some great stories right in front of me.

One of the people in the group was a young, perhaps thirty-something, man. His body was thin, his clothes slightly big, but he didn't look uncared for. He gently spoke with wisdom and eloquence as he shifted his gaze from my own to the ground. I told him I wanted to increase awareness and understanding of homelessness and the suffering people face, and he replied that he thinks people are aware, they just choose to focus on themselves, their own families, their own lives, putting blinders on to the rest of the world. I pondered his words and thought aloud that perhaps if people can hear others' stories, and identify with people who are homeless or suffering, then they might be more understanding. I added that in actuality we are all suffering. The young man agreed and then shared that he isn't homeless but something of the same as he lives in a boarding house. I asked him if he feels as though he receives discrimination or difficulty because of where he lives and he said he does. He went on to say that people often lack compassion. "How can we teach people to be compassionate?" I asked. His reply was that we can't really, because everyone is out of touch. We no longer rely on intuition. He explained further that we have become so mechanical, pushing away anything having to do with feeling. "That is why drugs are such a problem" he added. They numb feeling. His musings were quite profound and I wished I was able to talk to him more, alone, get deeper into these ideas, hear his story, but we were not alone and as there wasn't a seat next to him I stood above him as he sat, which felt awkward. He returned to his magazine as others' voices became dominant.

An elderly gentleman, 79 years old I later learned, sat next to the younger man. With a big smile on his face, he was happy to tell me when and where I could meet some homeless people and he was eager to share his story. As the young man next to him smiled and faded into the background I sensed that the elder man often dominated conversation to tell his tales. He was a small man with a thick accent, who beemed with enthusiasm and joy. He raised the sleeve of his shirt to show a small tattoo, some letters and then numbers, a reminder of his time at Auschwitz.

He explained that he is Jewish and Czech, and in 1944, when he was about fifteen and some, he and his family were brought to the concentration camp. He told vivid details of his first experiences there, but repeatedly said he wouldn't share the horrors, rather he prefered to just share the basic details. His mother and father were taken off to the gas chambers but he and his sisters survived when they were liberated by the Russian army in 1945. He was proud to say that his sisters were in America, in Brooklyn, and that they have great grandchildren now. He also was proud to say he had been to America more than once to visit. Throughout his telling of his story he kept saying with glee, "I'm alive!" "I'm here talking to you!" He also shared that he thinks it was his faith in God that helped him through. He added that he had studied at rabbinical school before then so he was very religious. He came from an orthodox family. He spoke of his time at the concentration camp and then easily switched to seemingly frivolous topics such as his shaving mishap and band-aid on his cheek.

It occurred to me as I talked to these two men, that my interest in this project isn't merely in the plight of the homeless, but rather in all of the people (animals too for that matter) that are neglected or denegated by society. Perhaps if we understand something of others' experiences, of their sufferings, of their humanity, and of their strength and courage we will find more compassion in our hearts as I think we will find that we are all quite similar.

Someday soon I'll make my way back to the mission and chat with some homeless people, but I had such an enjoyable time today I highly recommend that you all out there find a way to do something similar. Talk to someone on the street, go to a soup kitchen, maybe even try talking to the little old lady down the street who lives alone. Thanks for this opportunity.