Better than that...spend some time out one night with the St Vinnie's night patrol and actually speak to these people. Give up christmas day and serve free food to the homeless. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by incisor
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Better than that...spend some time out one night with the St Vinnie's night patrol and actually speak to these people. Give up christmas day and serve free food to the homeless. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by incisor
What a load of crap.......point me to an argument in this thread? My initial point is that having a thought means squat......unless you have been living under a rock....you'd be aware of it.....but how many actually do something about it....was more my point. Reading it in a thread or seeing an article and having a momentary lapse of guilt/ compassion means diddly. In my case, I may not be able to get out there....not my cuppa tea nor built that way.....so donate $$$ instead...regardless of peoples choices.Quote:
Originally Posted by Redback
Human life is full of winners and losers.....no hiding that....the losers in life are lucky that many winners do show compassion regardless of the choices they make. How or where and arguement has stemmed I cannot see....more a case of people offering an opinion.
Yes...I have known people who ended up on the streets and yes.....100% was through choices they made. Ultimately you can only help those that are willing to help themselves, there's a million sad stories to tell.....to be honest....I'd prefer to hear about the happy stories....old adage...misery loves company...rather be happy than miserable,
Regards
Stevo
My personality is very flawed, but unfortunately its also pragmaticQuote:
Originally Posted by incisor
I grew up with people who chose to go nowhere, quite a few dead, that's life, you make choices, you wear the consequences, other outcomes are from other peoples bad choices, a molested child, not their choice....but it is there choice do continue on, do what they can, unfortunately survival of the fittest still is the case, welcome to being an animal......very harsh, but it is reality
Quote:
Originally Posted by stevo68
and yet,
and yet,
it is always exactly these types of threads where you are at your loudest,,
time
after time.
you must donate lots of $$$.;)
Yes, In our free speech world everyone is entitled to their opinion and sometimes we are influenced in our opinions by our life experiences. What makes us humans different from other animals is that we have compassion and usually try to help others less fortunate whereas in the animal kingdom the weak and sick are neglected,alienated or even killed. What Justin highlighted is the fact that there are souls out there who have fallen into a desperate situation through their own problems or some through bankruptcy/separation/tragedy etc and feel that they cannot recover by themselves. Sometimes all they need is a little assistance to show that they are capable of being a usefull member of society. I recall some years ago in Townsville there was a homeless man who used to sleep in one of the bus shelters in a suburban shopping shelter with a small bundle of clothing which was all he owned. I used to see him sleeping there on my way to the base in the mornings. The Salvos eventually found him and with some assistance he got out of the rut he was in and recovered and it turned out that he was a "normal family man" until his wife and 2 children were killed in a horrific traffic accident. The grief of losing his whole family all too much for him to bear and he turned to alcohol and lost everything, his job/house, the lot. To their credit the Sallymen helped him out of a desperate surely potential fatal situation and he did return to "normal" life for the rest of his days. What I am highlighting is the fact that there are some out there who aren't in the situation they are in because of choice and just need a little help and direction to recover and I commend JC for his thought of the homeless in a cold winter as we are experiencing.Quote:
Originally Posted by stevo68
Thats right Brian, and some people haven't experienced real greif, so for them its easy to say, 'they have choices',when really their whole life has been taken from them. Its easy for them to lose direction.
What's your definition of real grief?Quote:
Originally Posted by Vern
Ah Dear Pedro.....good to see your bias against me remains strong....your forgetting the old adage...play the ball not the man....concentrate on the topic.......not me :angel:.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pedro_The_Swift
Now in terms of your play the man not the ball comments. Yes I can be loudest in these sort of threads......I think what I have noted is important.....i.e. people just having a thought ( great sentiment and great that Justin put it out there) is not enough. It takes action to change these sort of things......as per the story Bearman has relayed. A perfect case of someone being helped....who were willing to help themselves and get back on track.
Even under the worst of circumstances.....people still have choices.....some may say it is "fair call" given some circumstances to let go the lolly bag and go to pieces. But overall is that the best choice to make...long term? Hopefully people...given situation's look for help to make better choices.
Maybe to bring it home a bit......yep....my wife and children may not have been killed....but I lost them all the same...plus my home etc etc.....through divorce. Missed the first 6 mths of my son growing up.......my daughter having to go to hospital and I couldnt be there to comfort her as an 18mth old. Not knowing for 48hrs where my family was.....bottom line a pretty ****ty time.
But I had choices as to how I was going to deal with it. I drank a bottle of Jack the night they went missing and woke up the next day with a new attitude and out look. I spent 12 mths with a shrink so I could learn more about myself and again make better choices. That outlook hasn't changed in the last 12 yrs since.
Those that say people don't have choices are doing people harm. Regardless of what has transpired before them.....no one is holding a gun to their present or their future. Sympathy and woe will not do the less fortunate any good either..."Awww that poor man.....how terrible" may make you feel good for a moment.....but the "poor man" will still be the "poor man".
If one really cares.......and they are built that way.....volunteer time to help. If your like me and not built that way...donate ( and yes Pedro I do donate a fair whack of cash for these and other sort of things) so that people who can help...are able to help those less fortunate.
Regards
Stevo
Even if you do not believe in God consider the implications of the saying:--
"There, but for the Grace of God go I"
See, a great number of things do work together to make us what we are. Wendy [not her real name], a girl I once wanted to marry, grew up with an alcoholic dad. Psychology books say Adult Children of Alcoholics show certain characteristics, and Wendy definitely exhibits a number of these Characteristics [and Wendy may have others of these Characteristics that I am not aware of, as I did not know about Adult Children of Alcoholics until I read a book on the subject].
One psychological Characteristic of many, but not all, Adult Children of Alcoholics is they learn to keep family secrets and not discuss family [problems] with anyone outside the family [dad needing his medication every night is something we don't discuss]. Another Psychological Characteristic is that they do not ask people outside the family for information, but will only accept what the family tells them [hence ACOAs people often have trouble learning], hence Wendy is caught up with many strange ideas, that her cult family tell her to believe [I will not say who they are]. I once told Wendy over the phone, that the only Religious Chapel at the United Nations is run by Lucis Trust, and then told Wendy the background to Lucis Trust [and I am not going to discuss Lucis Trust here, but tell you as an example of her relying on others for what to believe], Wendy relied "If all this is true how come I do not here about this at my Church."
A normal person on the other-hand, might doubt what I said about Lucis Trust + the U.N., but would go online and search to see if I had told them the truth about it, and not assumed that their Church would tell them the Truth, or even know the truth, and assume I would not know the Truth about such things. "Prove all things, hold fast to that which is good."
So I give this as an example of our thinking being partly controlled by our up-bringing and situation.
Yes we all can change our thinking if we want to and get help to do it. A few Toyota only drivers find how good land Rovers are, and do change.
But many of those who are homeless, have never realized their thinking is wrong, & can be changed, and so are in a rut. Happily some will dig themselves out of the rut, and change their thinking. but sadly many will not change. If we get the opportunity we can encourage them to change their thinking, and cheer them up. Even a smile or friendly greeting can help someone realize some people do care.
Trying to bring your father back to lifeQuote:
Originally Posted by rovercare