Utterly Useless (January 11, 2012)

NOTE TO READER: The following was written in a temporary yet intense moment of frustration at being unable to provide sufficient help to someone in desperate need.  So please take with a grain of salt. It's important to know that these moments happen, and that they come from caring.  The key is to not close off the compassion because of moments of frustration, but to channel that energy to improving our world.

This photo is a visual representation of my
frustration at only being able to scratch the surface
of a much bigger need. 

Knock. Knock.

Who's there?

Utterly useless.

Utterly useless . . . who?

ME . . . that's who!

That's how I felt yesterday when a couple in great need walked into the church, and I wasn't able to do anything for them other than surface level band aid fixes.  And, it's not just this isolated incident because I've felt this way before when someone comes for help and I can't really do much for them.  And, it's not that I expect to be able to help everybody but rather it's a feeling of impotence in circumstances where I see suffering.  And, I recognize that it's also not solely my or society's responsibility, it's the person in need as well . . . but they are often feeling utterly useless, too.

Every person in need has their own story.  As for the couple that came into the church yesterday, their story was heart wrenching.  Well, it wrenched my heart anyway.  They're both unemployed, and one of them is on disability.  They come from a rough neighbourhood, and found themselves in the midst of a local conflict.  A few days ago some people broke into where they were staying . . . he caught a crowbar with his temple, she received boots to the face, and they escaped with the clothes on their back while their place was destroyed.  For the last few nights they've slept outside, but now the weather has turned cold.  They have no identification, no money, no food, and no place to stay. 

Sure, their story may be fabricated and they may have had a greater role to play in their plight than they are letting on.  All I know is their bruises were certainly real and they looked like death warmed over.  Their smell was real, too.  I have no doubt that somewhere along the road they made some poor choices.  I know this because (a) we all make poor choices from time to time; (b) having talked with them for an hour I got the real sense that she suffered from fetal alcohol syndrome; and (c) neither of them were the sharpest knives in the drawer.  But so what?!?  What does it matter if their story is not 100% true or if they were authors of their own demise?  Does that mean that they should be sentenced to homelessness and starvation?  Even hardened criminals get a roof over their heads and a proper diet provided for them. (For more on this line of thought see "Cruel & Unusual Punishment".)

All I could do was spot them $10 to buy something to eat, make sure they had an appointment with the local agency who could potentially hook them up with temporary accommodation and food coupons, give them a ride to get some food, and then drop them at the local agency.  Some will say that I did more than I had to, or at least more than most would.  However, I had no doubt that this couple was in the midst of personal tragedy, and my efforts paled in comparison to the need.  It could be that eight hours later they would be hungry again and sleeping outside if they were not successful getting the help they need from the local agency.  The husband was really concerned that their lack of identification and the fact they were a visible minority from a rough neighbourhood would prevent them from getting the help they needed.  Shaking his head as we were driving he commented, almost to himself, "I'm not a bad person.  Just in a bad situation."

It is because of the number of different stories resulting in poverty and the fact the average person is not equipped to deal with most of them that we need to have a collective strategy to deal with poverty.  We need better government and professional involvement in order to properly address the various faces of poverty.  We need enhanced legislative support to ensure things like living wages and protection of rights.  We need coordination of efforts by organizations equipped to address the variety of needs involved.  We need to make poverty eradication a priority in order to get to the root causes, and not just be satisfied with band aid treatment of symptoms. 

Nobody . . . not those in need . . . not you or I trying to help . . . should ever feel utterly useless.  Let's unite and support the changes necessary so it doesn't happen any more.

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Phase II - Struggles of the Working Poor Daily Report
Day 71 - 72 (January 10^th – January 11^th)

Weight at Beginning of Project:  233 lbs
Weight at End of Phase One:  216 lbs
Weight at Start of Phase Two: 221 lbs
Weight at Start of Today:  218 lbs

Available Funds:   $30.85 (leftover) + $5.00 (Jan 10) + $9.00 (Jan 11) = $44.85
Funds Spent Today:  $11.70
Remaining Funds:   $33.15

New Loan:  $0.00 (Jan 3)
Loan Payment Due Today: $0.00
Loan Payment:   $0.00
Outstanding Loan: $50.00 (originally $50.00 on Jan 3) @ 3% per month (non-compounding) = $50.50  Owing as at Jan 11^th . . . full re-payment due January 31^st (or earlier)

Items Purchased:   Sesame Snack (from health store), $10 Given to Couple in Need

Free Stuff:   Nil

Gas Purchased* & Remaining:  $0.00 (i.e. 0.00 litres @ $1.109 per litre . . . 0.0 km @ 10 km/litre) + 3.16 litres (gas remaining) = 3.16 litres (31.6 km)
Driving Today:  19.0 km (i.e. 1.90 litres)
Gas Remaining:  1.26 litres (i.e. 12.6 km)

*Will not include any fuel or driving related to work that is paid for by work.

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