Hidden Fortunes: Do we really appreciate what we have?
So, I had been racking my brain on how I could remix Nickel's narrative, and nothing was coming to mind. Though I have sympathy for the homeless, and feel sad every time I see them, I have never had any experiences involving them. Her narrative did, however, make me want to contribute to our community and help get people off the street (but that is not what I am going to discuss right now). It just so happens that last night when I went back to a friend's house after going downtown, him and his roommate got into a very lively argument. It was spurred when the other roommate (we will call him X) accused a friend of my friend's little brother (who also lives with them) of stealing money from him. Well, no one really found this plausible; it just did not seem like something the kid being accused would do. Knowing X, we all assumed that he probably just spent the money on drugs that night that he forgot he purchased. I know that seems a bit ridiculous, but it would not be the first time. Staying on track with my story, as the arguing continued, it escalated into my friend truthfully stating that if it wasn't for him and his parents that X would be on the streets. Some would find this to be a low blow, but I think it was something that X needed to hear. So many people in this society take what they have for granted. My friend went on to make numerous, realistic points about X's life. His mother cannot afford to take care of him, and neither can his sister, the man is about 26 years old for goodness sakes. He also mentioned that he does the bare minimum of what it takes to get by, while sucking in whatever he can get from others.
That brings me to a pivotal question: Do we all realize how fortunate we are to be sitting in this classroom? To be receiving the education that we are? To have food, clothing, and shelter? I think that it would do many people good to think about everything they have just a little more often. To try to fathom what life would be like living on the streets. Think about the woman in Nickel's story who is pregnant, living on the streets, with children who won't speak to her. I personally, cannot even wrap my mind around such a notion. I have received news of three people all within three years of my age that I knew who died in the past two weeks. As anyone could imagine, this has brought much contemplation along with grief about what and who I have in my life. I have found it very hard to hold onto my faith lately, but it is important that I do because we really are truly fortunate. I have decided that I am going to make it a goal to share my "fortune" and try to do more for others and hopefully make some sort of a difference.
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