Recently, I ‘met’ Jeff Brown on a social networking discussion group and learned of his friendship with a man who is homeless in Toronto (Slim) and was inspired. Jeff is a former criminal lawyer and author of ‘Soul Shaping’, a book about expanding our consciousness and ‘every person’s journey from self-alienation to soul-satisfaction in the heart of modern life’.
Here’s an excerpt from a post by Jeff on The Homeless Challenge:
“The HOMELESSNESS CHALLENGE is very simple. I challenge everyone of us who is in a position to do so, to give ONE homeless person something that they can do this year that will bring them back into the world in some small way. It can be an errand you need done, a car that needs washing, something that they can sell for you, perhaps even an ongoing job. It is fine and often necessary to gift money and food, but it is even better to remind them that they are still needed for what they have to offer. We talk about ‘unity consciousness’ in our spiritual inquiries, we hear ourselves say that “everyone is connected”, but how far do we take that? Do we exclude those individuals that make us uncomfortable and remind us of our own fragility? Do we keep the homeless at a comfortable distance because we want to keep our own fear of homelessness at arm’s length? How far are we willing to go to give meaning to the idea that “everyone is connected?” How willing are we to open our hearts and bring everyone from our flock back into the fold of the connected heart?
This idea was born in my recent experience with Slim, a homeless man in Toronto, Canada. For years, I had seen Slim pushing his cart around the area where I live. It is a big cart, almost like a caravan, filled with all kinds of mysteries. Whenever I would sit down to talk with him, I was startled by the positive energy that came off him. His energy was positive, his eyes alight. As we talked, I would notice others walk by, often racing to work or home. I noticed the discrepancy between Slim’s energy and theirs. He was so positive, they seemed dreary and worn. Yet he was the homeless one. Or was he?
As I was in the midst of writing a book about spiritual homelessness, my discussions with Slim always stoked the fire of my inquiries. When I finished Soulshaping, I added Slim to my gratitudes section. He had made a big difference. There was something between us, something…
The other day, I sat and talked with him at Starbucks. Somehow the idea emerged- Slim could sell the book. It seemed preposterous at first. I was met with my own judgments about the homeless- “they don’t want to work”, “they will rip you off”, “they are crazy”. But I came back to my senses and went home and got him 5 books. When I came back to see him the next day, the books had been sold. He placed an order for 11 more. I brought them to him, and then saw him later in the day. He had sold another 3. All the books he had yet to sell were wrapped up in protective plastic, with pride, and so as to protect them from the rain that falls onto his push cart.
I had given Slim money many times. He had accepted it, but he never looked happy about it. Today he looked happy. He had earned something for himself again, and he relished it. He let me know how many he planned to sell in the coming months, and what his financial goals were. For many years Slim has been studying the stock market. I called him ‘the push-cart guru’. He seemed to know a tremendous amount about investing in the money markets. Now, instead of dreaming about it, he has a way to bring it on home.
Since then, he has sold another 54 books. He has developed a plan to sell these books everywhere in the city. He is working on a sign for his cart, and he has asked me to open a bank account for him to make card deposits. Yesterday I took him out for his first real restaurant meal in years, and we got some t-shirts he could use as advertising for his new venture. I had tears in my eyes, as he stood in the store paying painstaking attention to the placement of the letters. It needed to be “just right” to help him achieve his goals.
There is much learning here for all of us. First, let it not be said that homeless people don’t want to work. Perhaps some are not in a state to do so, but many of them are and many of them want to. They just need an opportunity and someone who believes in them. They just need a gig. Second, this experience confirmed my own belief in human connectiveness. When we are left to our own devices, we are limited in our resources. Those eight books would still be sitting in a box if Slim and I had not connected. Instead, they have landed in the hands of those who need them because we crossed the barrier and made a human connection. Third, those of us who are on a spiritual path often get lost in the quest for egolessness. But we must also remember that there is a lot to say for self-esteem. Buddhists say “you have to become something before you becoming nothing…”. In simple terms, this means that before we can evaporate into oneness, we have to reach a certain stage egoically. Handing him money may keep him alive, but giving him back his self-esteem is the key to his future.
If unity consciousness means anything, it means bringing us all together, doing things that remind us of our shared humanity. I invite you to make the HOMELESSNESS CHALLENGE a part of your humandate for this year. Give ONE homeless person ONE opportunity to re-connect with humanity. Anything that reminds them that they still exist in the eyes of the world. Anything that allows them to feel heartfully connected to someone who has faith in them.
No, wait a minute….I don’t invite you…I CHALLENGE you. I CHALLENGE YOU. Lets get out of the theoretical quest for unity and bring it on home..”
Want to learn more about The Homeless Challenge? Check out these You Tube video’s where you can meet Slim and hear Jeff talk more about this project (in two parts).
The Karma Yogini Journals explores contemplative service (aka karma yoga, seva, engaged spirituality) from an interspiritual perspective.
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