This is going in deep, so put on your thinking caps...
By saralee1
@saralee1 (1982)
United States
April 29, 2007 7:53pm CST
One day I met a little old lady at a bus station. It was cold outside, and she was huddled in blankets, to keep the snow off her. I put more emphasis on her once I realized I was 15 minutes late from getting the ticket I needed. She was obviously homeless, and could have been anyones Grandmother. I decided she was safe enough to talk to, so I sat beside her, to have a somewhat intellectual conversation."You cannot stay here all night!" I cryed, after finding out she intended to live there. "What about the shelter?" I said. she smiled at me, and thanked me for my concern, but then told me she absolutely had no intentions upon going there. I'll be honest, I wanted to bring her home with me, so she could use myspare bedroom, maybe change her outfit, and maybe even live there until she got back on her feet. but, her next thoughts were kind of confusing. she told us that to accept anything government at this time, was giving into "the beast". Now, any Born again Christian understands what she is indeed talking about! so, I humored her, and told her to tell me more. She said we were basically already bought at birth with our social security numbers.
WHAT??? I exclaimed. but, there is no 666! I demanded. "no mark on the forehead!or right arm!"
I realized that this poor ladies story was her defense to justify why she was indeed homeless, maybe even schizophrenic.
So, what has happened to our welfare system that is supposed to protect the elderly, and our healthcare system?
she was afraid that I was indeed, a secret agent, so she refused my help. (?)(I am not a secret agent, ok?)
where exactly is our country going, and why are we leaving these people behind?
our country is not great until even the most helpless of who we are are provided for.
what are your thoughts?
2 people like this
1 response
@Rozie37 (15499)
• Turkmenistan
30 Apr 07
The first day of my psychology class my teacher asked us if we had ever seen a schizophrenic person before and we all said no. He said, yes you have, you see them almost every day. They are the ones who live and sleep on the street.
There are people who are housed, who go out on the street and sleep every night. This is their choice, they don't have to be there. The lady that you are speaking of, sounds like she is Paranoid Schzophenic. They have bizzar beliefs that they will swear are true.
She did not go home with you, because there is where she wanted to be. Before I took that class, I would never have believed that people chose to live on the street. But since taking that class, I have seen it for myself.
If she was use to being homeless, she was probably warmer than you were. They build up an immunity to cold. It also depends on where they were born. I have a friend that is out here in California, from Texas. She wears shorts year round and we are just blocks from the beach.
Most towns and states have ways of housing their homeless, but you have to want to be there. There are some who are court ordered to stay off the streets because they cause a problem.
I went to a meeting in my city a couple of years ago and they told me that they knew every homeless person in the city and that they were trying to get them off the streets. Then, there are ones who get money from the government every month and stay on the street. This is their choice.
No one in their right mind is going to choose to live on the street. For whatever reason this lady was where she chose to be and that is why she was still there when you left.
Some of those people living on the street probably have more money than you and I put together, but they have snapped and are refusing to take medication for whatever reason, so this is where they are.
I am not suggesting that you don't feel compassion, all I am saying is that it is probably not the governments fault that they are on the street.
1 person likes this
@saralee1 (1982)
• United States
26 Jun 07
I have pointed at a couple of people who have lived on the streets. but, I have not pointed at everyone. I have had friends in the past, who have stayed at the shelters. They didn't have jobs, and sometimes a job is hard to come by in the city I live, I know,because even I have had a difficult time,and I am considered pretty sharp. I know people who live in condemned buildings,and still paying rent, sadly, not much more than I am paying, only I have a better place to live. To group every homeless persons Paranoid sckitzo, is just like grouping all whites as supremacists, or all doctors as quacks. but yeah, there are alot of problems on the streets, and it really isn't that easy to get off of them with the help provided, which isn't much.
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