one of the things that struck me during my time with ryan on the streets, was the sense of community that existed with the people that lived on the streets. there was a serious support of one another that is not so prevalent in our more affluent societies. Ryan told me how money and food that one would find oneself with would be shared, no matter how little there was to start with. the concept being, i have today, but who knows about tomorrow... of course there are some who do not share, and sooner or later, they will not be shared with either. i too experienced this one day, ryan's last day on the street: it was late in town and i had left my lights on and when i got to my car, my battery was dead. not a great moment. around the courner came the two biggest smiles you can see in the picture to the left. they were running from the police or something. when i explained the situation, they got completely involved - watching my car while i found someone with jumper leads, when that didn't work, pushing the car down the street; when that didn't work, waited while i called the AA; when my phone died, offered me their R3 so i could call and get some help; waited with me until the AA came...... they were the champions of champions. i had luckily gained access to their hearts in that moment and it moved me. especially when they offered me their money.... the community is strong on the street. we can all stand to learn from it x x x
Monday, January 12, 2009
a sense of community we don't know...
one of the things that struck me during my time with ryan on the streets, was the sense of community that existed with the people that lived on the streets. there was a serious support of one another that is not so prevalent in our more affluent societies. Ryan told me how money and food that one would find oneself with would be shared, no matter how little there was to start with. the concept being, i have today, but who knows about tomorrow... of course there are some who do not share, and sooner or later, they will not be shared with either. i too experienced this one day, ryan's last day on the street: it was late in town and i had left my lights on and when i got to my car, my battery was dead. not a great moment. around the courner came the two biggest smiles you can see in the picture to the left. they were running from the police or something. when i explained the situation, they got completely involved - watching my car while i found someone with jumper leads, when that didn't work, pushing the car down the street; when that didn't work, waited while i called the AA; when my phone died, offered me their R3 so i could call and get some help; waited with me until the AA came...... they were the champions of champions. i had luckily gained access to their hearts in that moment and it moved me. especially when they offered me their money.... the community is strong on the street. we can all stand to learn from it x x x
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2 comments:
thanks for this clare!! this was one of the factors of "street life" that stood out to me the MOST in my 16 days on the streets! i mean, i felt like i "understood" it before that, but during the 16 days i really FELT and EXPERIENCED it...as you did on that night! awesome!
Not only is there an amazing sense of community amongst the people on the streets it is truly a community that does not discriminate. Black, white, brown, foreigner, local, gay, straight they dont look at each other with the same lables that broader society uses. They certainly see the differences and are aware of them but they are all acceptable and other values are more important than these superficial lables. There are few places in our country where you will find groups of people from such diverse backgrounds not only living closely together but also supporting and caring for each other when necessary.
It is also this communal spirit that sometimes keeps people returning to the streets as these people have a real sense of belonging and acceptance within this community. A sense which very sadly is hardly ever found in most other parts of our society. And once you've felt it, its not something that you can easily let go of. I know.
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