Learning to Survive. Day 13.

I remember that a few years ago one of my uncles commented to me about the “Human Motivation Theory” and “Maslow’s Pyramid.”

Abraham Maslow was a man who suggested that… “Some needs take precedence over others. For example, if you are hungry and thirsty, you will tend to try to take care of the thirst first. After all, you can do without food for weeks, but you can only do without water for a couple of days! Thirst is a ‘stronger’ need than hunger. Likewise, if you are very thirsty, but someone has put a chokehold on you and you can’t breathe, which is more important? The need to breathe, of course.“

In this place, we fight almost every day to satisfy the first level of necessities… physiological necessities, that is. People here must learn how to find water, food, rest for their bodies, a place that is neither too hot nor too cold, and a few other basic necessities.

In the search to supply these essential necessities, many times people see themselves as being obligated to sacrifice or pass up other “necessities”. For example, one can sacrifice the security of eating something “clean and healthy” for being “hungry”. One can sacrifice his or her “belonging” to a group for the necessity to fight for food. One can sacrifice the esteem of another for the necessity of stealing his or her food.

I have been learning these past few days that it is very difficult to read the Bible, pray, or even attend a church service on an empty stomach. It is at times very difficult to smile or to be friendly when other people devalue or ignore you because of your appearance. It is difficult to say “please” or “thank you” when all that you see in your surroundings are people who are trying to take advantage of you.

I am learning to survive on the street. I am not going to loose my integrity, but it has been necessary to loose my pride. I am not going to sell nor do drugs, but I have had to gather trash and, from the sweat of my brow, find a little food to tame my hunger. To survive is not something fun, nor is it an adventure… it is more so a hardship. Many of my friends have grown accustomed to this way of life. Many do not even think about the higher levels of Maslow’s Pyramid.

Jesus has come in order that we might have life, and that we might have life to the fullest. You and I, I am sure, have much more fulfillment in life than others. I hope that we might learn to be the hands and feet of Jesus, and that we might be able to share with the world a little more L I F E.

Against Them All… Day 12.

We all have problems at times. Some are easy to resolve, and others are very difficult. Through complying, we begin to grow; we begin to learn ways to resolve such problems. The majority of the time, we learn that when the problem involves other people, the best thing to do is to discuss the issue and arrive to an agreement where both parties are complying in some way.

This concept is not always so easy while dealing with life on the streets. It is more comparable to the animal world in the jungle. All problems are resolved through violence and the one who always wins is the one who can impart the most violence towards the other.

Today, two friends fought until one of them fell to the ground. No one attempted to stop the fight even though both people’s faces and fists were covered in blood. I suggested that they might stop the fight; however, the fight caused aggression and excitement in the group, and everyone began to get upset with me for trying to come between the two people fighting.

This is their way of life. This is the way they resolve problems here. It’s impossible to change the attitude of a person if his or her heart has not been changed. AND each day I come to realize that a heart cannot change itself… it can only be transformed. Perhaps a small change can take place almost immediately, but the transformation of one’s heart is something that takes time.

Today I had to remember that I must hate only the evil and not the person committing the evil. People will always have the opportunity to be transformed by the LOVE and Power of God. The transformation of some hearts (including our own) perhaps takes much time, but our God is the Eternal God and is Powerful. Don’t forget that!

From Heart to Heart. Day 11.

Some of the young people of Zarco continue asking me what is the true reason for my being here. Some have suggested that I am a police or military officer and that I am investigating their way of life, others believe that I am a priest, and that this is an order that has been given to me by my superior, and still a few believe that I have come to do bad things or that I am hiding from some wrong that I have committed.

I believe that it’s somewhat “normal” to not trust in someone who is unknown. We live in a very cruel world where ugliness has given humanity a reason to hurt others and this, in turn, provokes fear in us. However, I have seen during these past few days that each person possesses beautiful qualities in his or her heart. If we open our heart to others, we might be able to see that in each heart there is beauty and there is a hope to be better.

A few of my new friends have shared their hearts with me, in the same way I have with them. Those moments of friendship have taught me a lot about love and an “unknown person.” I believe that it is possible to see people with compassion in places of fear. I believe that people need open hearts to be able to open the hearts of others.

It is true that such an idea can be “dangerous” and at times can hurt, but I believe that it is the example that our Master has given us.

Cockroaches and Rats… Day 10.

Cockroaches are the only animals that truly disgust me. I don’t like to see them alive, and I don’t like to kill them. I can almost be sure that I would be very happy if I never had to see another cockroach for the rest of my life.

However, to live in a place like the one I am living in now has taught me that all that is difficult and disgusting to me is for others a part of their everyday life.

I sleep on the ground with a pair of blankets, and the majority of the people who surround me are not educated in the ways of cleanliness and organization (no one has ever taught them). So, we have a great problem of cockroaches and rats, walking between us all through the night. Until today, there have been about three times that I have woken up early, and I have had to remove the cockroaches from my clothes or shake them off my body.

It may seem difficult, but I cannot allow a couple of cockroaches and an army of rats hinder me from showing the love of God to these people. I don’t want to put a barrier between my comfort zone and their necessity to understand eternal consequences. Perhaps I may understand a little better now about what it means to “deny myself.”

I am sure that any Christian can do such a thing; perhaps today might be a good day for you to try. Perhaps today is a good day to exchange a little personal comfort for a little love.

What is my job? Day 9.

Today I went with two young people from Zarco to a “day home,” a place where homeless people can bathe themselves, eat and rest awhile from their street routines. In exchange, they only ask that each person help with cleaning the house and his or her attendance to a couple of educational workshops while they are there.

When the person in charge asked me about my condition on the street, she thought the situation was odd and asked me several times if I were part of some organization or if I were supervising the place (Zarco). After speaking with her supervisor (of whom I did not have the opportunity to see), she returned to tell me that they could not offer me their services, because I was not an actual “young person from the street.”

After chatting with her a while, we found that the only difference was that I am not a drug addict. So, for that reason, they could not help me. This pretext caused a few problems between the person in charge and the young people that were with me, because to these young people, I am part of “the gang.”

One of the young people began to say that this was an act of discrimination. I felt very bad for causing a problem between them, but at the same time, it made me think about the way in which the strict structure of an organization can prevent us from helping others when the possibility of doing so is at our reach.

Many times I have “been able” to help someone in need, and at times I have thought, “This is not my job.” The people who work at the “day house” had the possibility of helping me, but they were so focused on “their job” that they forgot that they could have done a little more.

This day made me think about the story of Martha and Mary. On some occasions, I find myself so busy doing “my job” that I forget about who I really am… a simple follower of Jesus.