My friend and I went walking one day
When we passed a man along the way
Lying next to a building and fast asleep
The sidewalk his bed along side of the street.

How do we know their reasons for less
Do we know the state that brought upon stress
Was it their choice or a great sacrifice
That took them away from their day in paradise?

~ Stinalisa ~
© Copyright 2000

We are often reminded of homeless people. They are all around us, and we don't have to walk too far or too long in larger cities to see a lot of homeless, or "street people", as they are called. We see them sleeping in the streets, begging for money, or carrying signs saying "I'll work for food".  We see their make-shift homes under the freeways and nestled among trees and bushes beside the roads. These homes usually consist of cardboard and paper, and are furnished with anything and everything which they can scrounge or steal. Quite often there is a K-Mart or Safeway shopping cart sitting near-by. These shopping carts are used to gather their loot and to store their treasures. There are visible and audible signs of homeless street people everywhere.

We have read in newspapers and heard television shows talking about the street people and their plight. Local governments and religious groups have created programs to help house and clothe the street people, and charity organizations have set up soup kitchens to help feed these people.

When we think about all the available help for the homeless, more questions come to mind. "If all street people are lazy and worthless, why are we doing so much to help these people? And since we have initiated so many programs to help the street people, we must, as a nation, believe they have some worth. If this is true, then who are the ones calling them lazy and worthless?"

The guilty ones seem to be the everyday citizen who has a good-paying job, a comfortable home, and enough food to eat each day. While he is sitting in his church or sending money to his favorite charity, Mr. Everyday Citizen seems to have a lot of empathy for the people who have less. But when he comes upon these same people on the streets and views them in the environment in which they live, it seems a judgmental viewpoint comes into play without any regard for reason or explanation.

By visiting with and studying some of the street people, I have learned of the many different reasons for their dilemma. Alcohol and drug addictions are some of the primary reasons street people are not able to get beyond the street. In order to support these types of expensive addictions, a home or a nourishing meal has to become secondary. And once they have reached the epitome their habits bring, a home doesn't seem to matter at all, and the sidewalk has become their bed.

Another large percent of the people sleeping on the streets are the mentally handicapped. People burdened with this type of illness are usually not able to obtain or maintain jobs and, if they have no families, have no other way to support themselves. Begging for money or stealing food is often the only way these people are able to survive since they are incapable of helping themselves. Their limited awareness keeps them from recognizing what they don't have.

Traumatic losses, whether it be through divorce, death, or even a job loss, can sometimes cause a person to reach the point of utter despair. This point of despair can induce a person to give up all self-respect to the point of feeling hopeless and helpless. Often these people will resort to living in the streets in an apparent lack of will to try anything else.

And finally there is the individual who has chosen the streets as a desired way of life. For whatever the reason, these people have chosen this type of life-style, and although living on the streets may not be what we would choose for ourselves, we don't have the right to place mythical labels of value and worth on someone who lives differently than we.

Why do we choose to label people such as these? Could it be a way to explain and justify something we don't really understand, even though it is all around us? Or could it be an acceptable rationale to look the other way? Mankind seems to have the remarkable ability to place negative labels on a lot of things. This narrow-minded, black-and-white way of thinking can often prevent a deeper, and sometimes a more enlightening, way of understanding people. Whatever the reason for our labeling, we do not have the right to determine the value of anyone's worth. We are each special and unique human beings, and when we can get beyond judgmental labels, our universe will be one step closer to becoming whole and complete.

~ StinaLisa ~

"Life & Inspiration Index"

If you have the time, stop by my home on the web,
have a cup of coffee, and see a list of my other web pages.
Please sign my Guestbook so I know you've stopped by.
Thanks!
~ StinaLisa ~

"Another Day in Paradise"
Phil Collins
Recorded in 1989 - #1 on the billboard charts

She calls out to the man on the street
'Sir, can you help me ?'
'it's cold, and I've nowhere to sleep.
is there somewhere you can tell me ?'

He walks on, doesn't look back,
he pretends he can't hear her
starts to whistle as he crosses the street
seems embarrassed to be there.

Oh think twice, it's just another day for
you and me in paradise
Oh think twice, it's just another day for you,
you and me in paradise.

She calls out to the man on the street
he can see she's been crying
she's got blisters on the soles of her feet
she can't walk, but she's trying.

Oh think twice, it's just another day for
you and me in paradise
Oh think twice, it's just another day for you,
you and me in paradise.

Oh Lord, is there nothing more anybody can do
Oh Lord, there must be something that you can say.

You can tell from the lines on her face
you can see that she's been there
probably been moved on from every place
'cuz she didn't fit in there.

Oh think twice, it's just another day for
you and me in paradise
Oh think twice, it's just another day for you,
you and me in paradise.

Just another day for you and me in paradise
Just another day for you and me in paradise.

The music playing is a condensed version of "Another Day In Paradise", and is for entertainment, educational and evaluation purposes only. Titles have full copyright by their respective artists and record companies. Please show your support for the artists who gave us this great
music by purchasing their CDs.

If you are interested in purchasing a full version of "Another day In Paradise" by Phil Collins, I have provided a link below to Amazon.com. They sell both new and used CDs. I have purchased many used CDs for my web pages and have never had a problem. Amazon also sells MP3 downloads in several categories with single songs ranging from 89 to 99 cents.

Thank you.

February 2000