gain a career as a fire fighter
become an international rockstar
take ballet classes
have a father figure
see my parents reconciled
make good friends
travel the world
escape those who brought abuse into my life as a child
teach chemistry as a lab technician
graduate high school
lead a missions team
drop out of college
finish college
obtain a 3.5 GPA
get married
change the world
I have seen some of these dreams realized, but obviously, some of these things were and continue to be completely out of my control. For example, there is nothing that I could have done to see my parents relationship healed, nor could I have chosen a father figure to replace the void in my life due to the end of my parents' marriage. No amount of decision or choice or maturity or goal setting could allow me to see these things become reality. These aren't dreams that I could attain by my own volition and will.
Similarly, homelessness and poverty are not the result of choices made. There are circumstances to which some are born into that cannot be escaped as easily as it may seem. We do not scorn those born into majority world (or third world) countries for not having been born into more affluent families. We do not judge children who have been abandoned by careless parents for not having been more responsible. We do not assume that those whose lives have been paralyzed by disease have asked for the hand that was dealt to them. Yet we marginalize others for their homelessness that we, as a society, have chosen on their behalf in so many ways.
You'll notice that mental health issues, sexual exploitation, addictions, and poor food security never made my list of goals throughout my life. As a child I never dreamt of becoming homeless. This may come as a surprise but the same is true of my friends within The Mustard Seed community.
Nobody chooses homelessness or poverty. Nobody dreams of these things.
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Follow me on Twitter @katcardinal
Awesome blog. So many people forget about this!
ReplyDeleteI fully agree that many of the homeless have experienced terrible trauma that has influenced them and played a part in causing them to end up where they are. I don't feel comfortable stereotyping the homeless as people who have all experienced a certain kind of trauma or trauma to a unique level that others who are not homeless haven't; I think Sarah did a great job of showing how many causes there are for homelessness. I also agree that virtually no one (I'm not comfortable with an absolute here... the human race surprises me on a regular basis) wants to be homeless.
ReplyDeleteDo you think that people's choices could ever lead to homelessness or at least be a contributing factor? Would you completely strike out personally responsibility and past choices from the list of reasons why someone could end up homeless?
I am curious though if you
I'm not sure how many people that are homeless you know, but honestly Tim, in the three years I've worked in the inner city, I can't say that I've met very many people who haven't experienced some kind of trauma, or dealt with mental health issues, or other calamities. And I've only met one person who says they are happy living outside.
ReplyDeleteObviously choices are a part of it, but when we use the language of choice, it takes all of the responsibilities that we share as a community (like voting, being involved in local politics, loving our neighbors (maybe even knowing who they are) etc. etc.) and places ALL of that responsibility on the person struggling. "Oh but they chose it" just doesn't seem to do justice to the incredible stories that each human being has experienced (you included!)!
I also feel like the language of choice is very limiting because as soon as we write someone off for their choices, we seem to forget about their tremendous potential! One of the saddest things about the inner city is the waste of potential! There is so much that people here have to offer and because of things like a loss of hope, broken systems and top down charity models, often, that potential to contribute is overlooked in favor of the fastest way to feed 300 people or the easiest way to get someone out of your office so you can get on with the other clients on your case load.
Something I think we can both agree on is that generalizations are not adequate. We have so many big generalized problems like poverty, homelessness, mental health, addictions, etc. and the tricky thing about that is that generalized solutions don't work. For each person there is going to be unique solutions that fit the problems and personalities of the individuals affected.
I don't know if you live in Edmonton or Calgary (or perhaps neither?) but I would love to invite you down to our Edmonton location to spend the day with us - not to change your mind - simply because I think perhaps we have a lot we can learn from one another and I would love to show you around my community so you can see it through my eyes, and maybe I could try to see it through yours as well!?
Peace.
Hey,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your engagement of this Paula. I have actually been working with the Seed in Calgary for the past year and a half. I write what I did based on my work there and life experience elsewhere.
I know that we don't often talk about choice in organizations like the Seed because it can be so polarizing, but I believe it's more of a hopeful topic then a condemning one. You mentioned the incredible waste of potential within the inner city; I agree, and I also believe that choice is the foundation for any hope that this potential might someday be used. I should clarify that I'm not saying that I'm waiting for people to wake up and put their lives together. I'm waiting for individuals and society as a whole to seriously address these issues. I recognize it's complex and I shy away from any generalization other then that choice needs to be talked about; not in a condemning way, but in a way that correspondes with the reality of the varied situations our guests experience.