On Lowered Expectations of Injustice
We can get so annoyed so easily. A traffic jam….and we are annoyed.
A colleague late for the meeting…..and we are annoyed.
A spouse who is taking too long in the changing room at the clothing store…..and we are annoyed.
Spend a little time with a homeless person and then ask yourself if the above three are big or minor annoyances. When I pass a homeless person, I can tell that he expects me to not see him. He thinks he is invisible.
He is not.
On one occasion, in leaving a restaurant with a good friend, there was a dear homeless person on the corner. It was a cold evening. He smiled. We gave him our “take out box” and he beamed. He laughed and with arms outstretched, he proclaimed, “God bless you.”
So amazing. He has nothing of material value….no home…..and he thinks he is invisible to the rest of the world.
Yet, he is rich because he has gratitude and love in his heart.
We decided, after having traversed a block on making our way to the safety and warmth of our homes, to turn back and give him some money along with the food. He was eating, saw us coming, and with outstretched arms, welcomed us with a “God bless you.”
He seems to have no resentment in his heart…..even when outside….without a home…..in the cold of an early winter……even while seeing that others do not see him.
Robert
Note: We are filing this in the category of Famous People. The homeless are not invisible and we did not want this uncategorized post to become invisible.
I think most of us do not see the homeless person because of our own guilt. If we do not give or help in some way, we have to justify that. Not seeing is a way of not necessarily feeling like we have to help. Yet, isn’t it those in such need who are instrumental in our own growing in compassion? They are our teachers.
Great point, Chris, about the homeless person being our teacher
Maybe being invisible is yet another wound inflicted on the poor. Maybe they need to forgive those of us who just walk by and do not acknowledge them.
No resentment in his heart? He is a better person than I am.
The person who was homeless in this blog post is amazing. He is not letting his situation in life bring him dow. I hope and pray that he finds his way out of the homeless trap.