People walk around to complete various tasks, but very rarely do they stop to say hello, let alone to a person in need. They’re in a hurry to get “it” done. They have that “thing” as you would say. These things we all are up to are formed by our knowledge of the world and the people we encounter. Before we encounter a person, we are taught words. Words form mental images, images to help us grasp what the other person is trying to communicate. “Homelessness” is a word that does not come with good mental pictures.
To change these pictures, places like Street Sense have people who can be a picture-changer to these seemingly negative words. That is why I take it upon myself to be involved in the efforts to end namelessness.
An advocate is a voice. I feel there are many places to get the picture changed. The word may already have pictures that come from it, but those pictures are not the majority of the population.
On both sides of the aisle, poverty is an issue. It is a world problem. The United Nations declared in 1948 that housing is a human right. We as humans deserve a home, a residence, even a temporary one. We don’t lack resources — we misuse and exclude. Poverty can end, by breaking the excuses for misuse and include everyone.
Earth is precious and we should treat each other as earthlings who have a lovely planet.
