Cups by Lulu & The Lampshades

I got my ticket for the long way round,

Four bottles of whiskey for the way.

And I sure would like some sweet company,

Oh, I'm leaving tomorrow,

What do ya say?

"Lighthouses don't go running all over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand there shining."

- Anne Lamott

A couple of weeks ago, I was walking home from work and some people handed me a flier urging me to go online and sign a petition against a new homeless shelter that was to be opened nearby. They claimed it's existence would attract homeless people to the area, making it less safe for us to walk the streets at night. I took the flier and didn't think much about it until I recently found it in my room. And now I am angry.

The problem with our society is that it doesn't want to deal with it's problem. The fact is, there are a lot of homeless people everywhere. In larger cities, they can be seen more often on the streets or in public transportation hubs, asking for money or just trying to find shelter against the elements. This is a problem because not enough effort is being made to help people. The rest of us view them as a burden or "creepy" as we walk by, barely glancing. How many times have you walked by a homeless person who is talking to themselves? Not every homeless person needs mental assistance but I would say there are a great many who do and who remain on the streets because they simply don't have the money to get help. They have schizophrenic, multiple personality disorder, bipolar disorder, or a range of other mental illnesses that cause subjective distress and make it difficult for them to function in normal day-to-day activities.

The idea of sending money over seas to a starving child in an impoverished country has become glamorized by our "American Dream" driven society. There are starving children and starving adults on our doorstep and we overlook them in favor of helping other countries because the media makes us believe they need it more. "We live in America, the land of opportunity. So why help your neighbor when they have every chance to succeed like you have and simply failed due to their own shortcomings? Help this child in this sad photograph. He has nothing." Go outside, walk down the street in DC or LA or NY and find a homeless person. They have nothing and need your help. I am not objecting to helping other countries. By all means, help anybody and everybody you can. But consider fixing the problems we have caused before trying to be a glamorized hero to the impoverished abroad.