What's the Point?

Why bother helping the homeless, the unemployed, the poor, the drug addict, etc?

It's sort of an unspoken question. It's hinted at every time the discussion turns to our welfare programs. It's suggested every time we talk about the person we drove past with the sign. We don't say the words aloud, but it's in our mind every time the opportunity to help comes up. Deep inside, there's mental math we start calculating of whether the investment is worthwhile.

But the real question is deeper - what would make it worthwhile to us?

Is it worth it to you to see a drunkard warm for an evening in a shelter you helped pay for? Is it worth it to put food in the tummy of a meth addict because you handed them a package of crackers when you saw them begging for money? What do you see when you see the homeless, the poor, the food insecure? Do you see someone who needs to put their life together and stop messing around, or do you see someone hurting who is still, underneath it all, a human being?

 
That's the point. Every time we help someone (help them, not enable them) we affirm their basic humanity. We make the statement that, no matter how much you've screwed up, it's still wrong to let you starve or freeze to death. We make the statement that it's not about what you will do for us, what changes you'll make, how you'll pay it back. It's about your basic humanity, and the basic human needs you have, and the basic truth that we would want someone to offer hots and cot, or just kind words, if we were in those raggedy old shoes.

When we start putting it in that context we can re-frame the question in a bold way. What can I do that truly helps this person? How can I meet their actual needs? Their sign says they are homeless - could I carry a few copies of a list of emergency shelters and long-term housing programs in my car to hand out? The sign says "Hungry" - could I have some snacks in the glove compartment for a time like this? Could I give to an organization in my area? Could I volunteer somewhere?

When we change our perspective, we can really start to care for all human beings simply because they are human beings. And that, my friends, is the point.