It's all about perception...
An old friend recently posted to Facebook, a picture depicting two different takes on those folks who stand on corners with signs. One was asking for cash, and the other advertising gold or something. It made me think of all the comments I've heard on this subject and what my own take on such things really are.
The first time I saw someone with one of those signs (asking for money), the very first thing I did was to stop the car, get out and go give the person everything I had in my pockets. I didn't think about it, but just sort of reacted. You see, I know what it's like to be poor, broke and hungry. Not to say that I grew up in total poverty, far from it. My parents worked hard for what little pay they got. But, there were many times when we had nothing. I looked forward to the free lunch at school, or my mom bringing something home from the bar she worked at because I knew the cupboards were bare at home. Our house was old and shabby. I was embarrassed to have the other kids know I lived there.
That said, I don't think I could ever have stood on a corner somewhere with a sign begging for money. It was embarrassing enough being poor without adding insult to injury. So, when I saw my first "sign person", I suppose that I must have thought they were embarrassed as I would be in that situation. And, if I gave them money, they wouldn't have to stand there being embarrassed and could get something to eat. It never occurred to me that they were "lazy" or "just looking for a free handout". I though: "Wow! that person must really be at the end of their rope!" I still contend that this is the case with some of them. However...
I also worked in the Seattle area for many years. I was a maintenance tech for a car wash and then oil company. I did an average of 200 miles a day on the roads of Puget Sound covering an area of about 500 square miles. I began to see more folks with these signs pop up at intersections and freeway ramps. Some were shabbily dressed, and some others not so much. I got to know some of them as they were on my routes. I could see the things change with them on a day-to-day basis. Like a new jacket or a new pair of Nike's. Other would come and go, but new ones would pop up in their place.
Now, I'm not a total fool. It was plain to see that some of these folks didn't need to be out there.
One day, I was stopped at the light at 15th NE and Leary Way in Ballard. I was going to make a left turn on to the Ballard Bridge. Standing on the corner was a man on crutches with a boot cast. Same guy who I'd seen for ages. He had a sign that read: "Disabled War Vet - Please Help! - God Bless". At the same time, a newer BMW convertible was parking under the bridge, and a man was getting out. He locked the car, walked over to the man on crutches, took the crutches and sign from him, and handed him the keys. The man who was previously on the crutches slipped out of the boot cast. The new man slipped into the boot cast, set up the sign and righted himself on the crutches. The first man now went to the parked BMW, got in and drove away!
Then I read, in the Seattle Times one day, about another sign person on my route just off of NE 8th in Bellevue that got arrested after he and another man got into a fight on the off-ramp over whose territory that off-ramp was. The police investigation revealed that both men lived in the same building in Seattle. A high-rise building of luxury condos overlooking Puget Sound!!
So much for being embarrassed!!
Nowadays, I live and work here in Olympia. I still see some of the sign holders at various places around town. Some, you can tell, are needy. Probably both mentally and monetarily. Some are women with kids and dogs. Some are clearly out there to scam some cash.
I hear people all the time calling them "lazy", and saying "why don't they get a real job". And, in many cases, I would agree. But, the lesson here is to never tar everyone with the same brush. For some, it may be all they are capable of doing. My giving them a dollar or two might just be doing some good. It also could be prolonging a drug habit. I'll take that chance because it's not my place to judge what anyone else does with their lives. As the Dalai Lama so aptly tweeted today: "A sense of concern for others gives our lives meaning; it is the root of all human happiness." I couldn't agree more.
But, back to my friends post. It shows the intent of someone turning something bad into something good. I don't know if that was his intent or not, but it provoked thought.
And after all, it's all about perception...
The first time I saw someone with one of those signs (asking for money), the very first thing I did was to stop the car, get out and go give the person everything I had in my pockets. I didn't think about it, but just sort of reacted. You see, I know what it's like to be poor, broke and hungry. Not to say that I grew up in total poverty, far from it. My parents worked hard for what little pay they got. But, there were many times when we had nothing. I looked forward to the free lunch at school, or my mom bringing something home from the bar she worked at because I knew the cupboards were bare at home. Our house was old and shabby. I was embarrassed to have the other kids know I lived there.
That said, I don't think I could ever have stood on a corner somewhere with a sign begging for money. It was embarrassing enough being poor without adding insult to injury. So, when I saw my first "sign person", I suppose that I must have thought they were embarrassed as I would be in that situation. And, if I gave them money, they wouldn't have to stand there being embarrassed and could get something to eat. It never occurred to me that they were "lazy" or "just looking for a free handout". I though: "Wow! that person must really be at the end of their rope!" I still contend that this is the case with some of them. However...
I also worked in the Seattle area for many years. I was a maintenance tech for a car wash and then oil company. I did an average of 200 miles a day on the roads of Puget Sound covering an area of about 500 square miles. I began to see more folks with these signs pop up at intersections and freeway ramps. Some were shabbily dressed, and some others not so much. I got to know some of them as they were on my routes. I could see the things change with them on a day-to-day basis. Like a new jacket or a new pair of Nike's. Other would come and go, but new ones would pop up in their place.
Now, I'm not a total fool. It was plain to see that some of these folks didn't need to be out there.
One day, I was stopped at the light at 15th NE and Leary Way in Ballard. I was going to make a left turn on to the Ballard Bridge. Standing on the corner was a man on crutches with a boot cast. Same guy who I'd seen for ages. He had a sign that read: "Disabled War Vet - Please Help! - God Bless". At the same time, a newer BMW convertible was parking under the bridge, and a man was getting out. He locked the car, walked over to the man on crutches, took the crutches and sign from him, and handed him the keys. The man who was previously on the crutches slipped out of the boot cast. The new man slipped into the boot cast, set up the sign and righted himself on the crutches. The first man now went to the parked BMW, got in and drove away!
Then I read, in the Seattle Times one day, about another sign person on my route just off of NE 8th in Bellevue that got arrested after he and another man got into a fight on the off-ramp over whose territory that off-ramp was. The police investigation revealed that both men lived in the same building in Seattle. A high-rise building of luxury condos overlooking Puget Sound!!
So much for being embarrassed!!
Nowadays, I live and work here in Olympia. I still see some of the sign holders at various places around town. Some, you can tell, are needy. Probably both mentally and monetarily. Some are women with kids and dogs. Some are clearly out there to scam some cash.
I hear people all the time calling them "lazy", and saying "why don't they get a real job". And, in many cases, I would agree. But, the lesson here is to never tar everyone with the same brush. For some, it may be all they are capable of doing. My giving them a dollar or two might just be doing some good. It also could be prolonging a drug habit. I'll take that chance because it's not my place to judge what anyone else does with their lives. As the Dalai Lama so aptly tweeted today: "A sense of concern for others gives our lives meaning; it is the root of all human happiness." I couldn't agree more.
But, back to my friends post. It shows the intent of someone turning something bad into something good. I don't know if that was his intent or not, but it provoked thought.
And after all, it's all about perception...
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