Thoughts of Here and There

To understand homelessness you have to live it.  I am sure we have all at some point in the past looked at a homeless person and formed and opinion without any research or supporting data.  I am sure that some, if not all, of the stereotypes exist somewhere but I am also certain of the antithesis of each also exist.  To label all homeless people with the same descriptive character traits is about as sensible and factually accurate as branding all the human race as nothing more than identical drones.  I have learned in life not to judge (unless you are actually a Judge, then you really must do it), and never more so than on these very streets.  The vast majority of the homeless people act like a collective cooperative.  It is a common occurrence to see the homeless checking on one another, sharing information and whatever they have to help.  We may not have much, in fact most of us have almost nothing in terms of possessions, but we will gladly share it all.

It is not just the homeless community that amazes me; the support and compassion from the wider community is incredible too.  Never before have I seen ordinary folk walk up to a homeless person, hand outstretched, even though the homeless person hasn’t actually asked for anything, and apologised for not giving more.  In most other places where I have been homeless, the best you can hope for is that your plight is universally ignored and you will simply go away or no longer be a problem.  Unfortunately more often than not you will become an object of ridicule and abuse.  If the streets of London are supposedly paved with gold (they are not, trust me when I say the reality is more soft and brown), then the streets here are paved with love.  I don’t want to paint an unrealistic picture of a population of hearts and flowers; news headlines would certainly dispel that myth, but for whatever reason, the social interaction just works.

One of the biggest hazards of being homeless is one which is devilishly cunning yet completely invisible; general mental condition.  A person’s inner happiness is vital, not just in whether they feel OK or not, by general psychological condition.  The things you do to raise your vibration are all important: it only takes one or two not-so-good experiences to knock you back far enough that it takes a long while to recover again.  My night spot is generally a happy place – most of the time it is just me, myself and I but I really don’t mind my own company; whiling away each night lost in my thoughts and observations, watching daily and nightly life go by before my eyes.  It is great entertainment; better than TV and the sound and picture quality are better too!

Sometimes people stop and chat; some out of curiosity as to why I am there, some to offer me something to get me through (I don’t drink or smoke but such offers are declined with thanks for the kindness and intent), the odd one or two will stop by because they are genuinely concerned for my wellbeing, but by far my favourite type of visitor is the left-of-centre type.  I have had some wonderful encounters like this; some are just venting about their lives and need to feel that somebody is listening (or they know they have a captive audience), some are on their way home from a night out and have a very important message to share with the world but cannot for the life of them find it amongst the cocktail of drinks and the struggle to coordinate body movement in a meaningful way.  I have also had one or two encounters with people who were genuinely and refreshingly different and more than clearly in a vulnerable position.  I am no Mother Theresa and my resources are limited in many ways but I have plenty of time to listen, and help in whatever way I can – people are good enough to appreciate my situation so it is the very least I can do for anyone else.  I may have hardened a little with the surroundings but I vow not to switch my humanity off.