Help The Homeless!

Growing up as a small child I always heard my teacher emphasize on the saying ‘East-west home is the best.’ However, this idiom meant little to me since I was born and bred in a family that embraced homeliness. Everyone was at home and helped make our home a memorable place day by day. This inserted in me a thought that all people have the same opportunity as me; having a nice place to call home and nice people who care to interact with daily. However, things changed as I grew up and started seeing helpless people on the streets, both adults and children, holding placards that read ‘help the homeless!’ At first, it was a nightmare to imagine that someone lacked a home since I had never seen or experienced that. The thought that came into my mind was to do my best and someday change the situation or at least try.

Visiting Knoxville Area Rescue Mission on voluntary basis was a dream come true. As a child, I didn’t have enough to offer but now I could not only offer financial assistance but also offer my time, mind, and body in helping the disadvantaged, homeless individuals. My best time was interaction time with the persons at Knoxville Area Rescue Mission. Getting to hear their story was both heart-warming and heart-breaking. I came to know that homelessness was not only a direct effect of poverty but also an effect of domestic violence, mental illnesses, and addiction disorders. One lad broke down as he narrated how his family abandoned him because of his heroin addiction menace. I knew no one disserves such treatment and vowed to make the best of my opportunity while there.

After hearing the people’s stories, we used our psychology background and encouraged them not to give up hope. Moreover, I used my religious upbringing to even pray with some of the victims and lift their spirits. We then endeavoured to serve them food and eat together with them. This act gave them a sense of homeliness that they had lacked for so long ever since losing their homes. They had a chance to experience the spirit of the saying ‘a family that eats together stays together.’ After food time, we had more interactions on a one-on-one basis. I particularly had an interest in spending time with the homeless veterans. Some had mental illnesses considering the inhumanity they had to endure on the battlefield. It was sad listening to a veteran’s story and thinking; he sacrificed his life to protect the country only to lose his home and family.

This experience both reminded and taught me a lot. Foremost was the fact that our community really lacked love especially to the less privileged persons. Most people only cared and showed love to individuals they are related to. The social evil of poverty was also very evident in the Knoxville Area Rescue Mission. Several victims were there because that’s the only place they could get a meal and find people willing to relate and be friends with them regardless of their stature. Unfortunately, there is a severe lack of ethical considerations to help these people. The little finances they receive from well-wishers is still heavily spent on bills such as electricity, rates, and housing. Such premises that offer humanity services to the society should not be subjected to similar standards as personal premises.

My experience in Knoxville Area Rescue Mission greatly highlighted two socio-cultural diversity elements: age and different learning styles and conditions. It was sad to note that most of the victims in this place were elderly individuals who had seen better days. I just couldn’t understand how or why their kids allowed this to happen to them. Worse still they were either suffering from a physical or mental illness. These observations were in tandem with Hill (1996), who postulated advanced age as a course of social isolation. Secondly, it was shocking to find individuals socially alienated because of their different learning styles. This goes to mirror the heartlessness of the society; it will reject anything different from it instead of embracing the diversity (Alexandru, 2012).

The society still has a lot to learn in terms of social-cultural diversity. People need to be taught how to accept other’s uniqueness instead of castigating them for factors beyond their control. We all have a part to play in ensuring this outcome. Just because you cannot donate $1 million to help the less privileged doesn’t mean there’s nothing else you can do. A simple act of just donating your time to these people go a long way in lifting their spirits. The power and widespread effect of the media can also be used to sensitize as mush people as possible about social-cultural diversity and how to coexist.

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