Coming Home

"Our world is a mess and I can't do anything about it!" Gee, what an easy and lazy statement and to think it came straight out of my thoughts.  Actually, I think it was my self defense that kicked in after coming across two situations that appealed to my heart.  We're so caught up trying to avoid situations that can disturb our way of life that we've become isolated to what's going on around us.  The trend is to be as individualistic as you can, everything is about me and only me.  I've heard many times people I know say, "If it doesn't affect me or my family,  I can't deal with that right now." This is like going to the dentist, if you fix a cavity you'll improve your oral health and ultimately save not only the tooth that had the cavity, but also everything that surrounded it.  If we use this same approach, resolving these issues will lead to building a better community, country and ultimately a better world.

One of my situations was how I felt after reading  K. Mark Koenig 's blog about the problems Palestine refugees confront everyday.  It shocked me to know how they faced being basically homeless, and struggle with their new life circumstances.  To make things worse, not only they live surrounded by these awful  circumstances, but as icing to the cake they also face situations where their life is often threatened.

As their days fade into the night, they can't just go home as we do everyday.  They can't leave towards their safe haven because they don't have one, they were forced out of it by circumstances out of their control.

"I see them as they go home at the end of the day...I want to go home to." Ronald Davis

Another story I could have spared myself from listening, was Ronald Davis' story.  As I heard him speak, I began feeling smaller and smaller, until nothing was left.  Saying that we're full of sh&%$t is an understatement!  Just having food, shelter and some level of peace is being filthy rich for some that don't have a dime to their name.   Nothing I can write can come close to the shattered speech of being homeless

    

Davis himself gave to the person who interviewed him.  This was over a year ago,  and it wasn't until this video became viral,  that attention wasn't  drawn to him.  He's only one of the thousands who face living in the streets in the United States every day.  He's a face that had the blessing of coming into the public eye due to social networks, and I'm more than sure he's very happy about it.  Help came on it's way for him and that's great, but what about the others?

Just knowing sometimes is unbearable!  Again I could go back to my opening statement and simply walk away.  Or on the other hand,  I could try to complete one act of random kindness to the next homeless that crosses his or her life with mine, reaching out and trying to help.  It's painful just to acknowledge how wrong some things are.  Yet we need to face the ugliness, heartbreak, loneliness and sorrow that some live through very close to what we call home.

That same ugliness is also found many miles away.  It's easy for us to buy something from China or any given country on E-bay, but are shy just giving a few bucks to a great cause abroad. Which is as simple as a click on Paypal.  The Palestine refugees Mark talks about struggle against getting just one dollar a day.  Being proactive in our world is just another form of globalization, the only thing we need to do is embrace and act on it.  

Wanting to reach out comes with a price!  It's like willingly putting yourself out there, in the unknown (a place that can bring us pain and frustration),or becoming vulnerable, yet I think I can  pay the price. Can you?









 




K. Mark Koenig