Just Show a Little Respect

Around my wife’s workplace, there is a large congregation of homeless men.  They stand on the street corners near the freeway and beg for money.  I used to feel sympathy for such people, but that faded long ago.  You hear stories about people offering them food, clothing, or employment; and the homeless men turn it down, because what they really want is cash.  One can only surmise that they want it for alcohol or drugs.  Maybe not all, but most.

So, now I just feel sad that men would be so lazy or so chained to addiction that they would choose to stand on a corner and beg, sleep under an overpass, and wear clothes that are so dirty that the original color can’t be determined anymore.  But they are still human, and they deserve at least that courtesy and respect.  There is no reason to treat them badly.  Ignore them if you must, but don’t treat them badly.

I was sitting at a stoplight one day, waiting to turn, and one of the homeless men started crossing the street.  He was dirty, unshaven, and his skin was leathery and tanned.  His head constantly twitched like he couldn’t stop his neurons from firing, and he was bone skinny.  He was in the crosswalk and had the “Walk” sign, so by all accounts he had the right-of-way.  But for some reason, the car next to me started edging up on him, getting closer and closer, like it wanted to run him over.  The homeless guy flicked them off and swore at them, but never stopped walking.

When he started to cross in front of me, he looked straight into my window, scowling defiantly, daring me to do the same.  Our eyes met, and I nodded to him.  His entire face broke into a smile, and he nodded back.  That’s all it took.  Just showed him a little respect, and it changed his entire demeanor.  And at that moment, I didn’t pity the homeless man, I pitied the driver of that other car.