Very moving and beautiful indeed. How did you find it?
It made me think of the "bag in the wind" video from 'American Beauty'. Very different, but a little the same. The same quiet way of communicating an idea. This one does use words, however, but to good effect. I suppose the one in 'American Beauty' does too, in the form of dialogue. (If you haven't seen it, one of the characters, a teenaged boy, makes these artsy videos. One, of a disgarded bag caught in the eddy of a breeze in a street doorway, becomes a sort of metaphor for hidden beauty, or perhaps the beauty that is always there if we have eyes to see it. When the kid is screening the video for this girl, he talks over it, explaining it to her, but also, obviously, to us.)
Anyhow, thanks for sharing this. I have a certain affinity with the Unseen. I feel a little invisible at times, so I try to 'see' others. When I worked in film in Vancouver, we sometimes shot in the Downtown Eastside, probably the worst urban area in Canada. I saw first hand how the homeless and forgotten of society live. If I had a reason to interact with someone, I ALWAYS looked them in the eye and made sure that they knew they were being heard and seen. It's amazing the difference it made. They were so used to people shrinking away from them like they were a pile of dog poo. I learned a lot from that experience.
Then, since my diagnosis with bipolar disorder in 2003, I have come to understand the role mental illness plays in addiction and homelessness. I always say, "there but for the grace of god go I". I am lucky that I have a "mild" form of bipolar disorder, but I understand now how mental illness can fuck up a life and prevent a person from living to their potential. I sometimes think I would like to find a way to become more of an advocate for people with mental illness, but I don't know if I have it in me. What I do instead is talk about it with any one who is interested, in hopes of destigmatizing it. I'm not at all ashamed of it. I just keep quiet most of the time because it weirds most people out. Anyhow, if you (or any of your readers) ever want to ask me about it, feel free.
So far I think you are the only reader :). BTW I have added an e-mail to the contact link, if you want to add something outside the context of the blog.
I found this posted on one of the blogs I read quite awhile ago. Don't remember which one. It stuck with me so I saved it on You Tube.
I give you credit for looking the homeless in the eye. It is difficult to do. I often feel guilty, not being able to do that at times. I throw some coin out when I can, but still difficult to give real contact.
When I say that I try to make homeless people feel seen and heard, I don't mean I'm some kind of "street angel", going around patting people on the back and saying "there, there". I've never had a real conversation with a homeless person, but I have been known to say "How you doin' today?" You don't have to feel guilty about homeless people. THEY know you aren't the cause of their problems, nor the solution. However, you might just be the best thing that happens to them that day, just because you said 'Hi'.
When I go downtown, I try to give five bucks to one homeless person. Don't get me wrong; I don't try to find the worst case or something. Just whoever crosses my path. I know people (like my mother) who say, "How do you know what they're going to do with it? How do you know they won't buy booze or drugs?" I don't know. But that's not a good enough excuse to not give at all.
Once, I was sitting on a sidewalk bench eating gelato and there was this middle-aged native woman sitting in a doorway close by. I already knew what I was going to do. Our eyes met a couple of times, but she kept looking away. I got up from the bench and went over to her, and put five bucks in her hand - not nervously, or like I pitied her. Just like it was a normal thing to do. Her surprise and gratitude were so sweet, so quiet. I didn't linger because I didn't want her to have to feel gratitude. I wanted her to feel like somebody gave a shit.
When I pass by others panhandling, I just say "Sorry, not this time." Our street people are fairly polite (lots of by-laws to keep them that way...) and when you say no, they usually say, "Have a nice day!" (Seriously!) I always turn back and say, "You too!"
Another encounter: NYC, 1998. I was there on business (a year I spent working for a company that does computer animation, not film work) with two guys in their late 20's. One night, on our way back to the hotel from dinner, we walked down a rather dark street, and I could tell my mates were nervous (I was their boss). We came upon an old black homeless man in a doorway; I could feel the guys draw back. I was carrying a doggy bag from dinner with two thick pork chops in it. I had been wondering what I was going to do with them. So, I went up to the man and said, "There are two really good pork chops in here. If I give them to you, will you eat them?" This man was like a schoolboy, like he thought he was in trouble, but when I spoke to him on a practical level ("I have food; you are hungry")...well, I can't say he relaxed, because once again, I didn't hang around. My co-workers were mortified.
People (myself included) always talk about wanting to make a difference. Well, I think these things make a difference.
(Okay...so if I had my own blog, homelessness would be one of my issues. Just warming up :) )
Very moving and beautiful indeed. How did you find it?
ReplyDeleteIt made me think of the "bag in the wind" video from 'American Beauty'. Very different, but a little the same. The same quiet way of communicating an idea. This one does use words, however, but to good effect. I suppose the one in 'American Beauty' does too, in the form of dialogue. (If you haven't seen it, one of the characters, a teenaged boy, makes these artsy videos. One, of a disgarded bag caught in the eddy of a breeze in a street doorway, becomes a sort of metaphor for hidden beauty, or perhaps the beauty that is always there if we have eyes to see it. When the kid is screening the video for this girl, he talks over it, explaining it to her, but also, obviously, to us.)
Anyhow, thanks for sharing this. I have a certain affinity with the Unseen. I feel a little invisible at times, so I try to 'see' others. When I worked in film in Vancouver, we sometimes shot in the Downtown Eastside, probably the worst urban area in Canada. I saw first hand how the homeless and forgotten of society live. If I had a reason to interact with someone, I ALWAYS looked them in the eye and made sure that they knew they were being heard and seen. It's amazing the difference it made. They were so used to people shrinking away from them like they were a pile of dog poo. I learned a lot from that experience.
Then, since my diagnosis with bipolar disorder in 2003, I have come to understand the role mental illness plays in addiction and homelessness. I always say, "there but for the grace of god go I". I am lucky that I have a "mild" form of bipolar disorder, but I understand now how mental illness can fuck up a life and prevent a person from living to their potential. I sometimes think I would like to find a way to become more of an advocate for people with mental illness, but I don't know if I have it in me. What I do instead is talk about it with any one who is interested, in hopes of destigmatizing it. I'm not at all ashamed of it. I just keep quiet most of the time because it weirds most people out. Anyhow, if you (or any of your readers) ever want to ask me about it, feel free.
Thanks for this, Vince.
So far I think you are the only reader :). BTW I have added an e-mail to the contact link, if you want to add something outside the context of the blog.
ReplyDeleteI found this posted on one of the blogs I read quite awhile ago. Don't remember which one. It stuck with me so I saved it on You Tube.
I give you credit for looking the homeless in the eye. It is difficult to do. I often feel guilty, not being able to do that at times. I throw some coin out when I can, but still difficult to give real contact.
When I say that I try to make homeless people feel seen and heard, I don't mean I'm some kind of "street angel", going around patting people on the back and saying "there, there". I've never had a real conversation with a homeless person, but I have been known to say "How you doin' today?" You don't have to feel guilty about homeless people. THEY know you aren't the cause of their problems, nor the solution. However, you might just be the best thing that happens to them that day, just because you said 'Hi'.
ReplyDeleteWhen I go downtown, I try to give five bucks to one homeless person. Don't get me wrong; I don't try to find the worst case or something. Just whoever crosses my path. I know people (like my mother) who say, "How do you know what they're going to do with it? How do you know they won't buy booze or drugs?" I don't know. But that's not a good enough excuse to not give at all.
Once, I was sitting on a sidewalk bench eating gelato and there was this middle-aged native woman sitting in a doorway close by. I already knew what I was going to do. Our eyes met a couple of times, but she kept looking away. I got up from the bench and went over to her, and put five bucks in her hand - not nervously, or like I pitied her. Just like it was a normal thing to do. Her surprise and gratitude were so sweet, so quiet. I didn't linger because I didn't want her to have to feel gratitude. I wanted her to feel like somebody gave a shit.
When I pass by others panhandling, I just say "Sorry, not this time." Our street people are fairly polite (lots of by-laws to keep them that way...) and when you say no, they usually say, "Have a nice day!" (Seriously!) I always turn back and say, "You too!"
Another encounter: NYC, 1998. I was there on business (a year I spent working for a company that does computer animation, not film work) with two guys in their late 20's. One night, on our way back to the hotel from dinner, we walked down a rather dark street, and I could tell my mates were nervous (I was their boss). We came upon an old black homeless man in a doorway; I could feel the guys draw back. I was carrying a doggy bag from dinner with two thick pork chops in it. I had been wondering what I was going to do with them. So, I went up to the man and said, "There are two really good pork chops in here. If I give them to you, will you eat them?" This man was like a schoolboy, like he thought he was in trouble, but when I spoke to him on a practical level ("I have food; you are hungry")...well, I can't say he relaxed, because once again, I didn't hang around. My co-workers were mortified.
People (myself included) always talk about wanting to make a difference. Well, I think these things make a difference.
(Okay...so if I had my own blog, homelessness would be one of my issues. Just warming up :) )