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- Jul 24, 2007
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This is a cut and paste from a very old post. Something from a current post triggered this as a reminder. Sometimes we need reminders that we have it better than we think. Not everyone has the choices that we have...
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The main point of this thread is with regards to beggars. I agree with the general discussion that handing money over to people asking on the street is not the proper thing to do.
There are some people that just don't have the ability to sort life out. Even with handouts from the government. It is real difficult to even figure out a bus schedule. Daily activities that most of us take for granted are a major burden to them.
There are people that cannot figure out how to use a cell phone. Can't count money...
There is not a way to teach them how to function the way you and I do. They get left behind in life and society does not know how to deal with them.
Mental illness is easy to spot. People tend to stay away from them because they are unpredictable.
How do you help them?
I grew up in a poor area. I knew a guy that was tall, good looking, and had a pretty normal life. In his early teens, he developed a brain tumor. By the age of 18, he had gone through a couple of brain surgeries and had lost one of his eyes. His mental capacity was now at about the level of an 8 year old.
Because of the brain problems, he was not able to use one side of his body very well. He dragged one of his feet when he walked. He was hideous to look at.
He had siezures regularly. Sometimes people would call the police because they did not know what was going on and he would end up in jail instead of the hospital. He once had a seizure in church and the police took him to jail from there. He was homeless and would sleep in old ratty motels or find abandoned houses.
His bitterness toward the world would get the best of him sometimes. He could not formulate sentences. He knew what he wanted to say but was unable to find words. People would give him a hard time due to his appearance and he would lash out... and end up in jail again.
He had a tender heart and a soul but the world was cruel to him. Everywhere he went, people would stare. He would get escorted out of restaurants and other public places.
He did not shower regulary. The coolness of the water would send him into siezures.
Through all this, he continued to maintain a life to the best of his ability. I helped him get an apartment. Everytime he moved, I helped him. When he needed something, I would help him get it. He did my yardwork for me. Even with his physical problems, he was strong as a bull.
When society did him an injustice, I would stand up for him.
He was always outdoors and in the sun. That did him in. He had a skin graft on his face that covered his eye socket. The graft was taken from the inside of his leg. He developed melanoma on that skin.
He slowly got weaker and was not able to move around very well. He never gave up hope. His family was informed. His sister showed up to visit him in the last couple days of his life.
I took him outside for a walk in a wheelchair. It was the last time that he saw daylight...
There were only five people at his funeral. Although he came from a large family, only one of his blood relatives attended. It was a sad life for him.
This is where my soft spot comes from. The feebleness of my efforts don't go very far these days.
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The original post was here. Off-Topic - The Beggar On The Street...
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The main point of this thread is with regards to beggars. I agree with the general discussion that handing money over to people asking on the street is not the proper thing to do.
There are some people that just don't have the ability to sort life out. Even with handouts from the government. It is real difficult to even figure out a bus schedule. Daily activities that most of us take for granted are a major burden to them.
There are people that cannot figure out how to use a cell phone. Can't count money...
There is not a way to teach them how to function the way you and I do. They get left behind in life and society does not know how to deal with them.
Mental illness is easy to spot. People tend to stay away from them because they are unpredictable.
How do you help them?
I grew up in a poor area. I knew a guy that was tall, good looking, and had a pretty normal life. In his early teens, he developed a brain tumor. By the age of 18, he had gone through a couple of brain surgeries and had lost one of his eyes. His mental capacity was now at about the level of an 8 year old.
Because of the brain problems, he was not able to use one side of his body very well. He dragged one of his feet when he walked. He was hideous to look at.
He had siezures regularly. Sometimes people would call the police because they did not know what was going on and he would end up in jail instead of the hospital. He once had a seizure in church and the police took him to jail from there. He was homeless and would sleep in old ratty motels or find abandoned houses.
His bitterness toward the world would get the best of him sometimes. He could not formulate sentences. He knew what he wanted to say but was unable to find words. People would give him a hard time due to his appearance and he would lash out... and end up in jail again.
He had a tender heart and a soul but the world was cruel to him. Everywhere he went, people would stare. He would get escorted out of restaurants and other public places.
He did not shower regulary. The coolness of the water would send him into siezures.
Through all this, he continued to maintain a life to the best of his ability. I helped him get an apartment. Everytime he moved, I helped him. When he needed something, I would help him get it. He did my yardwork for me. Even with his physical problems, he was strong as a bull.
When society did him an injustice, I would stand up for him.
He was always outdoors and in the sun. That did him in. He had a skin graft on his face that covered his eye socket. The graft was taken from the inside of his leg. He developed melanoma on that skin.
He slowly got weaker and was not able to move around very well. He never gave up hope. His family was informed. His sister showed up to visit him in the last couple days of his life.
I took him outside for a walk in a wheelchair. It was the last time that he saw daylight...
There were only five people at his funeral. Although he came from a large family, only one of his blood relatives attended. It was a sad life for him.
This is where my soft spot comes from. The feebleness of my efforts don't go very far these days.
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The original post was here. Off-Topic - The Beggar On The Street...
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