3.26.2006

A Quarter for your thoughts

I've been thinking through so many things since Chicago, but the one thing I can't get past is a little thing called poverty...what to say about homelessness? I left Chi-town with this one burning question, what do you do? For instance, I will give a few examples. Sleeve and I ventured out of the hotel one night with 2 huge boxes of left over burritos. We walk right out the door and immediately this man named Jimmy comes up to us asking us for a quarter. The dialog went something like this...
Jimmy-Hey you got a quarter
A.J.- No but we have lots of burritos
J- shoot I don't want no burrito
aj- well what are you gonna do with a quarter that you can't do with a burrito?
J- (mumbling unmentionable words under his breath)
We walked away and a few minutes later Jimmy is back up with is....
J-hey you got a quarter
A.J.- no but I still got a big box of burritos and they're kind of heavy so it would be awesome if you'd take some

Now I was just blown away.....if I was walking back from Chipotle with a big burrito in my hand for dinner I bet I could find a dozen people who would want it...not this guy...he wanted a quarter. So, I ask myself and Sleeve what is so wrong with giving jimmy his quarter and then we see exhibit B.
We watch this guy from accross the street debating whether or not he is homeless (yes we were judging from the outside). As we debate on walking over this other guy walks up and hands him so money. The man then bolts off down the street like I have never seen anyone run. Now I could be wrong, but I would guess he already had that money spent in his mind before he got it. Thats why you don't give them money....its a quick fix...its no help to them.
So, our question was...what do you do? How do you fix a problem that seems inevitable? How do a bunch of upperclass white kids go into a city with food and tell the inner city ghetto about how "our God" will bless them?
I have thought through some things and have much more than this, but what do you think?

2 comments:

Mark "Sleeve" Smyers said...

aj...we are eye to eye. i just got done writing this same expericence on my blog, with the same questions. what do you do?

i guess i should have read your blog before writing. it would have save people some reading.

also, not to sound mean, but i am glad this still troubles you too.

Katie said...

I wrote a long comment on Mark's blog...so instead of writing another novel, perhaps you can just go read it there. I get your point totally...just presented perhaps another viewpoint. I didn't say how to "solve" homelessness, which theoretically may happen, but won't ever happen in real life (for way more reasons that I know or could even begin to type) - but I totally see your point. I have been there, been in the situation where they refuse food and only want money, I've seen the psychoticness, I've seen the mental problems, I've seen the greed, and the burning for more of something that will never satisfy them...and it's frustrating beyond belief, but I've concluded that there's not much you can do but give of what you have - whether it be time or money or food or compassion - and let the Lord work.