It seems like yesterday I stepped onto the property of SHO and was totally freaked out at the sight of several hundred homeless men and women. Being a middle class suburban kid I had never been exposed to such a sight before.
At first, I was not sure how to respond to what all I was experiencing. I did not know I should go up and talk to people or stay to myself. To be honest, I think I was on homeless people overload. I felt as though I had stepped into a third world country. The poverty these people were living was too much to bear.
My background in the suburbs had taught me these people were lazy, crazy, or addicted. Much of my impression of “homeless people” had been shaped by television and pop culture. These thoughts and others raced through my head as I began to walk across the parking lot of SHO and began looking into the faces of these people.
About that time I heard someone shout out at me, “young man.” As I turned I saw a man sitting in a chair wearing a sock hat and holding a cane. I went over to the man and introduced myself. He told me his name was Marlon and he could tell I was new.
Marlon and I had a good laugh at the fact that I looked totally freaked out. We then continued to dialog about all kinds of different topics. We talked about God, family, life, and more. His insight was incredible. The more we talked the more we began to connect. The more we began to connect the more I forgot I was talking to a “homeless” man. Marlon was not very different from anyone I had ever met before. His circumstances were very different, but he was in fact no different than anyone else… including me.
Marlon started to open my mind up the reality that people are people no matter what their circumstances. Yes, even the smelly, poor, homeless man is in fact a man. He has real passions, desires, dreams, hurts, pains, feelings, etc… He is no less a man than me or anyone else.
The word “homeless” is just a label that we use to group people together. It is funny how that word has found its way into so many different facets of pop culture. The other day I was playing the game of Life with my family when I landed on the spot, “help the homeless, and earn a life tile.” It was then that I realized that even in children’s play games the label of “homeless” is used.
The lesson I learned that day with Marlon I continue to learn every day as I make new friends who shatter my stereotypes. I have come to an understanding that people are people no matter what and they are all deserving of love and compassion. In order to communicte true love to others we must realize that we are all the same.
P.S. Marlon was the first person I met working at SHO. He is doing well now. He is living in an apartment and is dating Yolanda. This picture was taken of us last week during one of our monthly lunches together.
