Bankruptitude
The cities across this great land that are criminalizing homelessness are each and all giving evidence of an ethical "bankruptitude": to harass the poor and to additionally harass those persons dedicated to serving and feeding the hungry is morally criminal: you are intellectually lazy and spiritual cowards as well! What say you?
Crash A Homeless Psalm
(for Jim)
I crash to my knees:
"Lord" is my new Gray Dog, God
How I want! He leads me through the streets,
And makes me lie down in the City Park.
He whines for food I don't have.
He's a damn son-of-a-bitch.
Sometimes I have to walk all night
When the cops have a hard-on for the homeless.
I am always afraid, even with him beside me:
His bark and his growl
Are precious little comfort to me.
He's a damn son-of-a-bitch.
But there are times that we strike it rich:
Some lady will toss a burger
From her passing window. I get the bread,
Tomato, and lettuce: he takes the rest, 'cause
He's a damn son-of-a-bitch.
When all is quiet, though, and we can make camp,
I call him my Goodness and Kindness,
And then I dream of peace and plenty
And a home with a yard for as long as he shall live:
He's a damn son-of-a-bitch.
Jim showed up one day at our first Soup Kitchen, of course with one of his beloved line of dogs. Too proud to enter, even though he was very hungry, he gladly accepted a plate of food and sandwich if we took it outside to him. Finally, our connecting deepened when we invited him to become a volunteer. Within a short period of time we became dear friends: he with his history of "breakings", and me with my emerging experience of spiritual solidarity. Jim was a Vietnam War veteran: carrying his burdens and nightmares into his everyday life. The overwhelming sadness of the Vietnam War -- a clear war of choice devoid of the international heroism of the Second World War -- scarred the minds, hearts, and souls of many tens of thousands of young Americans (as it surely did to the Vietnamese as well): Jim was not an exception to this rule. After a number of front-line tours, Jim returned home wrecked in spirit... and even though he drove truck for years and did other jobs as they came up, he could never get everything in his life in order...
And the drugs that made killing "live-able" in the jungle, were no longer the soldiers ally but instead his damnation in the eyes of the public. Demonized as addicts, the homeless veterans of America struggled to resurrect their dignity in a society that had no need of them and was embarrassed by the many lives that were turned inside-out by the political ideas of powerful men in Washington, D.C. (none of whom ever apologized to the soldiers they manipulated and broke). Still, on his good days, Jim was a valued and trusted volunteer: especially towards everyone who was worse off then him! He would literally do anything for someone who was crushed in spirit and broken of heart...
One last thing, on my last trip back to Salinas with him from the VA, I pointed out to him what I knew to be true: he could not face the probability that he would never know love in his life again: his fear of that probability compelled his addictive behaviors -- a self-defeating justification that was in its essence an effort at self-preservation -- talk about a vicious circle! Believing that he could not be loved, he habitually made himself un-love-able, and was time and again "proven right"... And yet, and yet, Jim was worth the very best! He was infinitely love-able, and so very able to love! But fear kept him tied to very small, self-defeating, definitions... Recovery is always, in its essence, the renewal of the mind, heart, and soul with possibilities: when life is once more seen to be like that of a child with wide-open doors, the fears that chain us to our addictions are cut loose: with a renewed mind comes the conviction that "I can"... with "I can" comes "I will"... with "I can and I will" comes the spiritual consolation of vocation: purpose and meaning in relationship to the whole: purpose and meaning are sacred encounters with Mystery and the Divine... and so recovery becomes, literally, resurrection... Now look into Jim's eyes: and say to yourself, "I can and I will" live magnificently in service and solidarity: for you... and all of your hurting brothers and sisters...
An Action Plan To End Homelessness and Poverty
Perhaps this "Homeless" rendition of Psalm 23 will seem irreverent, maybe even strangely disconcerting. That is okay: life for the homeless is an existence beyond the ken of most folks. The continuing fact of homelessness in America -- and the alarmingly high rate of poverty -- should be a scandal of epic proportions: that it can be a "forgotten" issue -- except for the occasional photo-op -- should be an issue of national concern. Until "Occupy Wall Street", there was this stony wall of silence about the fantastical amounts of wealth hoarded by the super-rich. Most of us cannot even come close to begin imagining what a "billion" dollars actually is... or a "trillion"... or the 15 - 40 trillion dollars hidden by Americans in off-shore tax-havens: not just to avoid their fair share of taxes, but in a heartless contempt for the essential American vision of "justice for all": including economic justice! Neighbors would never think of treating their neighbors as such strangers -- and yet that is exactly how the super-rich treat every other American!
As those who serve our American homeless know, a significant number of them are veterans: many are veterans of war and not just folks who safely wore a uniform. Leaving discussion of means and ends aside, and the general morality of war as well, we are still confronted by the fact of American warriors abandoned in their lives of need: oh, of course, there is the VA and programs galore: but how do you mend a shattered heart and mind? How is a soul re-vitalized with a will to live and to live well? How is the sense of abandonment replaced by a belief in worthiness, and the right to a home? But perhaps the most mind-numbing fact of homelessness and poverty is the number of women and children who are poor: go ahead and look up the numbers: and look up, too, proposals by political parties and other organizations as to how to address poverty and homelessness: ponder, as well, the question as to whether it likely or not that poverty can be solved if there continues to be such a horrendous gulf between those on the "bottom" and the super-rich?
"Greed" continues as the God of our economics, and if that "god" is never replaced by a "Home", or "Solidarity Economics", truthfully, how will poverty ever be eliminated? If all the mechanisms of our social organization -- all of the institutions, policies and programs -- continue to trend more wealth to rise to the super-rich and less and less to be justly distributed to everyone else through living wages and guaranteed employment, how will the current sad state of affairs change? And the worst question of all: what if the machinations of the super-rich prohibit any substantive change at any time in the near future, what then? Some, especially on the right-wing of American politics say, "Don't worry! Private charity will take care of the suffering of the 'deserving' poor: the rest will learn how to survive." But having run a "private charity" for thirty years, I understand only too well that that argument simply won't hold water: it's only a means for deflecting observation from the fact that they don't care and are, in fact, in primary service to the super-rich.
So, which way forward? On the one hand, political activism from the "left" is essential: predatory capitalism is not the only way of economic organization possible [before you get your pants tied in a knot over the word "socialism", consider studying the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church and the Catholic Worker Movement, consider studying Gandhi, David C. Korten, Riane Eisler, and E. F. Schumacher: there are many alternatives available to create an economics of personalism and partnership]. On the other hand, forming intentional communities, sacred circles, and work cooperatives "of, by, and for the people" is also vitally important for building alternatives to the Dominator Paradigm right now, and to begin the transition to a new Solidarity Paradigm! Resistance is not futile! Joining ranks with the great "Outlaw Band" of folks like Yeshua, Rumi, Jefferson, Eugene V. Debs, Gandhi, Martin and Coretta King, Dorothy Day, Daniel Berrigan, Peter Maurin, Thomas Merton, Ram Dass, Wangari Maathai, Rigoberta Menchu, Aung San Suu Kyi, Nelson Mandela, Evo Morales, Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta, John Perkins, Cornel West, Vandana Shiva, Arundhati Roy, Alice Walker, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Andrew Harvey, Naomi Klein, Winona LaDuke, Bill McKibben, and Mother Jones (from among many others) is important: adding your life and voice to the mix of public debate is likewise essential! When asked what this "Outlaw Band" recommends for public policy say: "Activated compassion, absolute equality between women and men, social justice and equality for all, take-it-to-your-limit- free education for all, guaranteed employment and living wages for all who can work -- and security for those who can't, recognition of the economic value of home care, recognition of health care, food, shelter, and clean air and water as human rights, equal access to land and homes, reverence for the Earth, recognition of the 'inter-being' of all life on the Planet, the elimination of money from political influence, and a differential of, say, only four-to-one in the possession of wealth from the top to the bottom": and when someone objects to the radical nature of such a proposal as this, simply say, "What else could the words of Yeshua possibly mean when he said to love one another as one's own self: love means all of this and so much more! Love-in-action will surprise us with even more ideas as to how to love even more and better! Join us!"
What if?: as a very first step signaling to all the world that our American fight against terrorism is entering a new stage, along with the elimination of drone warfare and the near-absolute curtailment of the NSA, our nation were to commit it's resources and creative integrity (much as we did in the "race to the moon") to the elimination of starvation and hunger on Planet Earth within five years: what could inspire every American more than an actual goal worthy of our capabilities? Surely another result from this global effort would be the invigoration of our internal commitment to the well-being of all Americans: what better way to confront and overcome homelessness and poverty? I believe that our nation's youth, as well as all the folks seemingly entrenched in "right" and "left" political philosophies, would rapidly drop "division" for a "vision" worthy of the great tapestry of faith cherished by so many of us: even those who do not ascribe to a faith are part of the fabric of our communities and nation: each and all, waiting for the call to passion for unlimited possibilities! It is, in fact, our sacred responsibility to fully engage every aspect of our lives in our transformation into "paradise possibilitarians" and to, finally, build the Earth... Join us!
Crash A Homeless Psalm
(for Jim)
I crash to my knees:
"Lord" is my new Gray Dog, God
How I want! He leads me through the streets,
And makes me lie down in the City Park.
He whines for food I don't have.
He's a damn son-of-a-bitch.
Sometimes I have to walk all night
When the cops have a hard-on for the homeless.
I am always afraid, even with him beside me:
His bark and his growl
Are precious little comfort to me.
He's a damn son-of-a-bitch.
But there are times that we strike it rich:
Some lady will toss a burger
From her passing window. I get the bread,
Tomato, and lettuce: he takes the rest, 'cause
He's a damn son-of-a-bitch.
When all is quiet, though, and we can make camp,
I call him my Goodness and Kindness,
And then I dream of peace and plenty
And a home with a yard for as long as he shall live:
He's a damn son-of-a-bitch.
Jim showed up one day at our first Soup Kitchen, of course with one of his beloved line of dogs. Too proud to enter, even though he was very hungry, he gladly accepted a plate of food and sandwich if we took it outside to him. Finally, our connecting deepened when we invited him to become a volunteer. Within a short period of time we became dear friends: he with his history of "breakings", and me with my emerging experience of spiritual solidarity. Jim was a Vietnam War veteran: carrying his burdens and nightmares into his everyday life. The overwhelming sadness of the Vietnam War -- a clear war of choice devoid of the international heroism of the Second World War -- scarred the minds, hearts, and souls of many tens of thousands of young Americans (as it surely did to the Vietnamese as well): Jim was not an exception to this rule. After a number of front-line tours, Jim returned home wrecked in spirit... and even though he drove truck for years and did other jobs as they came up, he could never get everything in his life in order...
And the drugs that made killing "live-able" in the jungle, were no longer the soldiers ally but instead his damnation in the eyes of the public. Demonized as addicts, the homeless veterans of America struggled to resurrect their dignity in a society that had no need of them and was embarrassed by the many lives that were turned inside-out by the political ideas of powerful men in Washington, D.C. (none of whom ever apologized to the soldiers they manipulated and broke). Still, on his good days, Jim was a valued and trusted volunteer: especially towards everyone who was worse off then him! He would literally do anything for someone who was crushed in spirit and broken of heart...
One last thing, on my last trip back to Salinas with him from the VA, I pointed out to him what I knew to be true: he could not face the probability that he would never know love in his life again: his fear of that probability compelled his addictive behaviors -- a self-defeating justification that was in its essence an effort at self-preservation -- talk about a vicious circle! Believing that he could not be loved, he habitually made himself un-love-able, and was time and again "proven right"... And yet, and yet, Jim was worth the very best! He was infinitely love-able, and so very able to love! But fear kept him tied to very small, self-defeating, definitions... Recovery is always, in its essence, the renewal of the mind, heart, and soul with possibilities: when life is once more seen to be like that of a child with wide-open doors, the fears that chain us to our addictions are cut loose: with a renewed mind comes the conviction that "I can"... with "I can" comes "I will"... with "I can and I will" comes the spiritual consolation of vocation: purpose and meaning in relationship to the whole: purpose and meaning are sacred encounters with Mystery and the Divine... and so recovery becomes, literally, resurrection... Now look into Jim's eyes: and say to yourself, "I can and I will" live magnificently in service and solidarity: for you... and all of your hurting brothers and sisters...
An Action Plan To End Homelessness and Poverty
Perhaps this "Homeless" rendition of Psalm 23 will seem irreverent, maybe even strangely disconcerting. That is okay: life for the homeless is an existence beyond the ken of most folks. The continuing fact of homelessness in America -- and the alarmingly high rate of poverty -- should be a scandal of epic proportions: that it can be a "forgotten" issue -- except for the occasional photo-op -- should be an issue of national concern. Until "Occupy Wall Street", there was this stony wall of silence about the fantastical amounts of wealth hoarded by the super-rich. Most of us cannot even come close to begin imagining what a "billion" dollars actually is... or a "trillion"... or the 15 - 40 trillion dollars hidden by Americans in off-shore tax-havens: not just to avoid their fair share of taxes, but in a heartless contempt for the essential American vision of "justice for all": including economic justice! Neighbors would never think of treating their neighbors as such strangers -- and yet that is exactly how the super-rich treat every other American!
As those who serve our American homeless know, a significant number of them are veterans: many are veterans of war and not just folks who safely wore a uniform. Leaving discussion of means and ends aside, and the general morality of war as well, we are still confronted by the fact of American warriors abandoned in their lives of need: oh, of course, there is the VA and programs galore: but how do you mend a shattered heart and mind? How is a soul re-vitalized with a will to live and to live well? How is the sense of abandonment replaced by a belief in worthiness, and the right to a home? But perhaps the most mind-numbing fact of homelessness and poverty is the number of women and children who are poor: go ahead and look up the numbers: and look up, too, proposals by political parties and other organizations as to how to address poverty and homelessness: ponder, as well, the question as to whether it likely or not that poverty can be solved if there continues to be such a horrendous gulf between those on the "bottom" and the super-rich?
"Greed" continues as the God of our economics, and if that "god" is never replaced by a "Home", or "Solidarity Economics", truthfully, how will poverty ever be eliminated? If all the mechanisms of our social organization -- all of the institutions, policies and programs -- continue to trend more wealth to rise to the super-rich and less and less to be justly distributed to everyone else through living wages and guaranteed employment, how will the current sad state of affairs change? And the worst question of all: what if the machinations of the super-rich prohibit any substantive change at any time in the near future, what then? Some, especially on the right-wing of American politics say, "Don't worry! Private charity will take care of the suffering of the 'deserving' poor: the rest will learn how to survive." But having run a "private charity" for thirty years, I understand only too well that that argument simply won't hold water: it's only a means for deflecting observation from the fact that they don't care and are, in fact, in primary service to the super-rich.
So, which way forward? On the one hand, political activism from the "left" is essential: predatory capitalism is not the only way of economic organization possible [before you get your pants tied in a knot over the word "socialism", consider studying the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church and the Catholic Worker Movement, consider studying Gandhi, David C. Korten, Riane Eisler, and E. F. Schumacher: there are many alternatives available to create an economics of personalism and partnership]. On the other hand, forming intentional communities, sacred circles, and work cooperatives "of, by, and for the people" is also vitally important for building alternatives to the Dominator Paradigm right now, and to begin the transition to a new Solidarity Paradigm! Resistance is not futile! Joining ranks with the great "Outlaw Band" of folks like Yeshua, Rumi, Jefferson, Eugene V. Debs, Gandhi, Martin and Coretta King, Dorothy Day, Daniel Berrigan, Peter Maurin, Thomas Merton, Ram Dass, Wangari Maathai, Rigoberta Menchu, Aung San Suu Kyi, Nelson Mandela, Evo Morales, Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta, John Perkins, Cornel West, Vandana Shiva, Arundhati Roy, Alice Walker, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Andrew Harvey, Naomi Klein, Winona LaDuke, Bill McKibben, and Mother Jones (from among many others) is important: adding your life and voice to the mix of public debate is likewise essential! When asked what this "Outlaw Band" recommends for public policy say: "Activated compassion, absolute equality between women and men, social justice and equality for all, take-it-to-your-limit- free education for all, guaranteed employment and living wages for all who can work -- and security for those who can't, recognition of the economic value of home care, recognition of health care, food, shelter, and clean air and water as human rights, equal access to land and homes, reverence for the Earth, recognition of the 'inter-being' of all life on the Planet, the elimination of money from political influence, and a differential of, say, only four-to-one in the possession of wealth from the top to the bottom": and when someone objects to the radical nature of such a proposal as this, simply say, "What else could the words of Yeshua possibly mean when he said to love one another as one's own self: love means all of this and so much more! Love-in-action will surprise us with even more ideas as to how to love even more and better! Join us!"
What if?: as a very first step signaling to all the world that our American fight against terrorism is entering a new stage, along with the elimination of drone warfare and the near-absolute curtailment of the NSA, our nation were to commit it's resources and creative integrity (much as we did in the "race to the moon") to the elimination of starvation and hunger on Planet Earth within five years: what could inspire every American more than an actual goal worthy of our capabilities? Surely another result from this global effort would be the invigoration of our internal commitment to the well-being of all Americans: what better way to confront and overcome homelessness and poverty? I believe that our nation's youth, as well as all the folks seemingly entrenched in "right" and "left" political philosophies, would rapidly drop "division" for a "vision" worthy of the great tapestry of faith cherished by so many of us: even those who do not ascribe to a faith are part of the fabric of our communities and nation: each and all, waiting for the call to passion for unlimited possibilities! It is, in fact, our sacred responsibility to fully engage every aspect of our lives in our transformation into "paradise possibilitarians" and to, finally, build the Earth... Join us!