What is Home?
By Bensen32
@Bensen32 (28658)
United States
December 31, 2019 10:23pm CST
I just finished watching a show on Amazon Prime called Signs of Humanity. It is a documentary about a man who travels across the United States buying signs from the homeless. The documentary came out in 2016 but he started buying signs and collecting them since 1993.
In July of 2014 he and 3 others made this trip across the US and bought 280 signs while asking the question, what is home, to the homeless he encountered along the way. He finished with a art project he called We are all Homeless.
He says in it that he started to collect the signs due to the feeling he got when he would see a homeless person. One thing he said really echoed in my mind, he said, "I avoided eye contact with those on the street, unwilling to really see them". Although there have been many times in my life that I have given money or food to a homeless person, there are many more times I have done this same thing. I turned away to avoid them, what does that say about me?
This show really got me thinking. Why is it we treat our homeless like they are some kind of disease that we are going to catch? Do we think they chose this life? Many are every much like the rest of us, one bad turn in life and here they are on the street, many time not from their own doing.
Are we afraid to look at them because we are afraid to see ourselves in them? Many at least here in the U.S. are one bad situation from being in the same situation and looking at them reminds us of that.
If more of us would reach into our pocket and give them some spare change, showed them a little compassion, hell just gave them a smile and wished them a good day it just might help.
If you have the chance to watch this show I encourage you to do so. As he asks through the show...What is home?
Me: My Family, safety, the acceptance from them, no matter who I am.
5 people like this
7 responses
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
• United States
1 Jan 20
I think we need to start with the resources for homeless shelters. We need to make sure the homeless shelters in our community are working for the homeless to get them back on their feet again. Not just the basic things they need, but the more complex things. These places should also be a resource for those who are facing homelessness. Give those people who are close to becoming homeless a chance to regain their footing before they lose their homes.
It's sad that we won't look at them. We also have this mistrust, as if they are all lying.
1 person likes this
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104615)
• United States
1 Jan 20
@Bensen32 True. Yes, I do think that a lot of the homeless just had something go wrong with their life. However, I do think that there are a lot of people out there with mental illnesses that are living on the streets because they don't know where to go, or have nowhere else to go.
There's a mylotter here who talks about how he will end up being homeless and living in a shelter. It's sort of sad to hear because he has seemingly given up, and / or doesn't know how to help himself.
1 person likes this
@Bensen32 (28658)
• United States
1 Jan 20
@ScribbledAdNauseum Yea, we are afraid to look at what could happen when it comes to homelessness.
I don't know all the stats but I would guess a good amount of the homeless just had something go wrong in life and there they are. but like all people that are trying to just get by in life. Any positive we can pass their way would be good.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (502656)
• Italy
2 Jan 20
@Bensen32 We do not have homeless here, only beggars who come in during the holidays to take advantage of the fact that people are more ready to offer them something. We are not allowed to give them money (this is not to incentive them to come), but we can give them food, drinks, clothing.
1 person likes this
@LovingMyBabies (85923)
• Valdosta, Georgia
1 Jan 20
Being homeless ourselves before my family has made it our mission to take care of the homeless any way we can, including giving them a warm place to sleep and shower at times. We aren't afraid of this world as our God is so much bigger than it!
1 person likes this
