PERSPECTIVE!
On the way back from my moms place the other evening, we stopped at the gas station for the boys to pick up some luxuries. I don’t really do sweets, so I waited in the car. There was a bloke standing at the entrance… somewhat “rasta looking” but clearly homeless. I have seen him many times before, sleeping under the trees which surround the area in which we live. I felt a little bit like a “Humans of New York” observer sitting there watching him through tinted windows as he went about his business doing, well – to what appeared to the onlooker as “nothing much”.
He had a magazine in his hands – a WELL weathered magazine which he was repeatedly flipping through, back and forth, back and forth – but was definitely not reading anything because he kept looking around every three seconds. I noticed that certain pages in the magazine were loose and as he flipped them, I thought to myself “those pages are going to fall on the floor” and contemplated what sort of reaction would arise if and when that happened.
Seconds later – true as apples fall off trees, the pages fell to the floor and I watched in complete fascination as he scrambled to the floor to pick them up and put them back in their rightful place… carefully checking whether they were the right way up or not. In whatever way, shape or form – this was really important to him and it made me want to cry!
This weathered magazine was a PART of his world, a slice of his sanity an escape from the glaring eyes that make him feel like a lessor human being. He looked around as he got it all back together to see "who noticed" and all I wanted to do was help him to pick up the pieces, or perhaps give him a new magazine to gaze through (although perhaps he may not have liked that).
Generally, my natural instinct is to take pictures of everything I see, but in this instance I felt such a deep respect and empathy. He is subjected to more humiliation on a daily basis than many of us encounter in a life time and I figured the LAST person I wanted to be, was the one he glanced up at to see with a camera in hand. So, I observed him with my “living camera” – my eyes and I absorbed the moment in it’s entirety - I am a mother and he is somebody’s son.
That was a Whole dose of PERSPECTIVE right there!
Observing and contemplating it all brought a song to mind... A song which I have loved since I was about 10 years old!
❤❤❤
Until next time...
Much Love from Cape Town, South Africa xxx
Jaynielea
FOUNDER OF THE POWERHOUSE CREATIVES & STEEM SOUTH AFRICA
A community of individuals who are dedicated to producing quality content
which adds value to the Steem network and beyond.
Connecting the people of #STEEM across South Africa. #steemsa
ALL IMAGES ARE MY PROPERTY UNLESS OTHERWISE CREDITED
As usual good one
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:)
Thanks for share your valuable content
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Thank you @shuvo - this is the third identical comment of yours I have encountered this evening. Please make a more genuine effort when responding to people's posts. thanks x
The government has made it endemic in this country. I've been homeless and slept in the park, in old cars, beside the road and in many other places and I can say it is not nice at all.
I read a quote about this earlier when preppring this post @wales.... one sec let me find it...
here....
and how fucking true!
True, but that is what makes it so, mad...
I really "enjoyed" that video. I find it kind of bleak though.
Have always loved this song!
It's a heartbreaking situation. I, too, have spent my share of time contemplating people in the streets, loquitos, as we call them (little crazy people). Every day there seems to be a new one in town and every one of them, I say to myself, has an untold history that leads us back to what it has been said in the comments above: noone (with the power to change things) cares.
In terms of costs, it would be relativelycheap for each town to take care of their homeless and yet, money is wasted ona daily basis on propaganda and other pointless crap while children, young men and women, and elderly people get piled up in some sort of lost-item-box nobody claims.
That is so true! And incredibly sad. Pretty much summed up in the quote I shared here on Wales' comment...
Oh that "he is somebody's son" cuts me to the quick every time. Thank you for your compassion and respect toward this man.
I can't play the video btw. I use steempeak
It is a pity the world does not make more of an effort to change this.ahhh, pity you cant play it :(
For everything in life is a matter of perspective 😉👍
TRUTH!
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So sad to see, but happens everyday @jaynie. In San Antonio we have fake homeless on the corners begging for money at the intersections. They drive to "their" corners, park their cars, and pretend to be homeless, then drive home. It sucks!
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It is VERY sad to see!!! And it is chronic here in SA! Oh, we ALSO get plenty of the "fakes" fake blind, fake disablities you name it - and they are damn good con artists lol
Great post and song @jaynie, I'm not really sure if I've heard that
Song before, but I like it. I'm not big on the overly rhythmic
Styles of reggae and especially rap, but this was good, It
Didn't quite fall into either category. Post upvoted of
Course.
I'm curious, at the top of your profile as part of your
Bio, there is this link:
https://www.rockyourworld.co.za/
It doesn't take me anywhere, says the site can't be reached.
What is that?
Thanks for the positive vibes Jerry! and yes, that song is "special". That WAS my blog site... but I decided to shut it down and focus my blog content solely on Steem. I actually just updated my footer yesterday with the removal of that address haha... so it wont reflect there anymore xxx
It was just a curiosity, I almost never pay much attention to those things anyway.
Glad you are doing well @jaynie
Thank you @jerrytsuseer - hope the same for you too x
Perspective very often changes when viewed through the lens of "this person once had a childhood." The next immediate questions become "what was it like?" and "how did that person get to where they are today?" Simply by asking those questions I think we can begin to gain some empathy.
Interestingly, that is ALWAYS the VERY FIRST question I ask myself! - It really IS a "game changer"! Wish more people realised that.
Seriously... this is one of the most thoughtful and positive blog posts I've read in a while. Just "wow!" and BRAVO!!! 💖 This is definitely worthy of the #thoughtfuldailypost tag!
Thank you love! And thank you too, for the gesture on this post! Love you too much!!!!! xxxxxxx
Love this story. Albeit a tad sombre. Stories that make you reflect and possibly change the way you not only perceive things, but also your action and reaction to life that unfold daily, which for the most part go unnoticed. 😊🇿🇦😊
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Agreed! A little inward reflection is something today's society could use a little more of in my opinion.
Oh yeah! It can bring tears to one's eyes!
A very well written post here!
We started feeding when we landed here in the Cape Province and that new project that I was talking about a while ago is to feed those that scratch in dustbins for food.
There are many around here and we did the first feed on Monday last week. Only 20 souls arrived, but experience tells me that it will soon increase dramatically once the news go out that there's free food on the poor grape vine.
Btw. At Papillon's old HQ in Johannesburg we fed a total of 144,618 hot nutritious meals to the poor. 24,103 meals per year X 6 years.
2008 meals per month.
37,500 loafs of bread were freely distributed.
This is not to brag at all, but just to show that we have the experience and nothing stops us from repeating it here in the Cape.
Nothing wrong with your passion and empathy Lady Jaynie.
Blessings!
What you do every single day is absolutely admirable @papilloncharity!!! Blessed to be in your company!
Thank you for the kind comment my lady.
I have been reading the steemfest posts and as usual some are not very happy. Good to read them as ideas for the SA Steemfest methinks?
Blessings!
I'm glad you didn't take his picture, as most people would have done.
yeah, it did NOT feel right.
This is so beautiful post. Full of heartssss❤️
Thank you sweetie! I hope you and family are feeling better xxxx
How true the poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty! And how often do we look the other way instead of acknowledging our fellow human beings who may be in more impoverish circumstances than you. They are still a human being just like you and deserving of love and kindness. Something as small as a smile can be all is necessary to give a little lift.
Thanks for sharing your perspective!
That is such a valid truth right there @porters. I have often considered writing a post about that... "how many people did you smile at today?" The results would no doubt be shocking! - Except maybe for @freedomtowrite.... I reckon she smiles a LOT of the time ;)
Well this response right here made me smile!
Beautiful post, @jaynie. We may not be fix or save every ill in the world, but understanding, compassion and respect can go a long way toward making this a more civilized place for us all.
Absolutely! Many small efforts and all.... :)
True; one has to look at this in the right perspective, having met some who did not ask for the poverty they find themselves in. Whilst some have indicated it was by choice, climbing off what the majority call life and living, prefering a style better suited to them.
Hard to believe some are lawyers, doctors, teachers who have stepped away from chasing "wealth in money", this is where @wales selection of music fits in with "Mad World".
Never having walked in another man's shoes, treat everyone with the respect they deserve.
BINGO!
We all have our own paths!
Here in America, too many of the homeless are veterans who have served, many of them struggling with PTSD and other mental issues, brought on while in the act of serving their country. They are ignored and left to rot in the streets, while those in government insist on all kinds of assistance for those who break the law and enter the U.S. illegally.
Just recently, our house of representatives voted to provide free dental care to people illegally in the U.S., but when some wanted to add veterans to that bill, they were refused.
That is, IMO, just the dirtiest and most disgraceful thing our lawmakers have ever done so far, in the entire history of the U.S.
That is just sick really, isn't it! Sick and oh so sad!!!!
It is! The politicians who forget the vets and refuse to help them should be banned from holding political office in America.