Quote:
Originally Posted by Jazuela
I'm sorry to hear of your loss.
Thing about homelessness - and even beggars on the street corners, is that until and unless you actually speak with them, and hear their story, you have no way of knowing their circumstances. And every single one of us is one mortgage payment, one drink, one surgery recovery painkiller, one tragic traumatic mind-snapping moment away from being in their place.
Does it mean we have any obligation to help every beggar we see, every person who looks down on their luck? Absolutely not. It isn't our obligation. But it is our responsibility to treat them like human beings and not look down on them like they're dirt under our feet. Even a nod of recognition of their existence, is better than how they are usually treated.
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On my late younger brother, we lost him around late November of 2014. A hard journey with him and his alcoholism of about 15 years. If he had committed to the AA meetings and the AA 12 step program he would have done a lot better but he never really did that and lied constantly about his use of alcohol.
On a related note. I do not think that the panhandlers you see around US 441/27 are all that representative of the homeless you might find up in the Ocala National Forest.
I do try to take each person as an individual with his or her own stories though. Each is different from the last. It is a lot more work on the heart and mind though.