The Invisible Homeless « Services for the UnderServed

The Invisible Homeless

March 15th, 2010

Written by Julia Bader, Resource Development Manager

As you may have seen in the April 8, 2007 Washington Post article, Pearls Before Breakfast:

In a Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007, a man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approximately 2,000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

The musician played continuously for an hour. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32. He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition. He was assumed to be homeless.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100. This raises the question: in a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context, or does the homeless stereotype leave us blind to what is in front of us? What else do we fail to ‘see’ around us?

Here at SUS, we work to help all of our consumers recognize their own individual talents, and to become independent, visible, and contributing members of society. Many have spent years living on the streets, invisible to the people around them, written off as talentless, worthless, and undeserving because of their homeless status. Others have been marginalized because of a mental illness or a developmental disability.

If we even notice, or do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made…. How many other wonderful people and their talents are we missing?

Posted by SUS | Filed under: Homelessness

Taylor Yoo

THANK YOU for posting!!! Great piece.
Paul Flagg

Thank you for this poignant piece and your thoughtful comment. An important perspective is that as we open our hearts to others, we receive the joy of an open heart. Thus, each person who stands alone, in need, is a gift and an opportunity. Organizations that do the good work that you do at SUS, provide opportunities for us all.
Anonymous

Exactly!!! These are the questions we should be asking ourselves, and much, much more. Thank you, Josua Bell and SUS, for driving the point home. This is so much more than a “diamonds-in-your-backyard” peice.

Caste systems happen first in the mind and heart, through trained blindness. If you consider someone unimportant and valueless, you won’t notice him (though he plays like an angel), because your mental programming has already relegated him to “Invisible” status. For you, he isn’t there. And you may only notice him because his presence is considered a nuisance factor, in your frame of reference.

Giving within this context assumes Scrooge-like dimensions; tossing change is seen as acceptable. Mother Theresa said, “Give until it hurts.” It may hurt you to toss a quarter to someone, but that’s not what she meant. She meant give them your sustenance, your vital essence; one beat of your heart for you, and one beat for them; one breath of air for you, and one for them; one dollar for you, one for them. Saving lives takes that much and more: a sense of belonging.

Our society has been fractured. Families aren’t together, and rarely if ever, speak to each other. There are no Thanksgiving, Christmas, or birthday celebrations. The last person you might be able to count on is a family member. This has caused love to die. We see it in empty churches and vicious politics. You may not feel you belong to anything or anyone; but you can create that through loving service.

Let none of you ever again say the phrase, “Where is his family?” God put YOU ON EARTH, together with the outcasts, the homeless, the abandoned, TO BE THEIR FAMILY. To be a LOVING member of a heavenly family to them NOW, HERE ON EARTH. When you think that question, “Where is his family?” — look in the mirror. You’re looking at it.