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colin mackenzie

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Homelessness is not an excuse for defeat

All across the world there are homeless people moving from place to place to find shelter and food. I believe that as humans they have the ability to build shelter and find food in the wild. I don't think these people should be given handouts of shelter and food, But as men we must help each other to ensure our evolution. What we should offer is education on agriculture irrigation and construction.

Topics: community social change society
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Closing Statement from colin mackenzie

what you need to survive is all around you.

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  • colin mackenzie

    • +1
    Dec 9 2011: i can sympathize with the aliments, but even a broken mind has potential to do great things. In my eyes they have a unique perspective that most of us don't have. Encouraging dependent behaviors is what puts them into chronic self disbelief. Motivational speeches would do them more good than accepting them as useless. People always want the quick fix to these problems and the quick fix is basically " here have some food, we gave up on really helping each other a long time ago".
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      Dance Aoki

      • +1
      Dec 10 2011: I think you're oversimplifying a vastly more complex issue. The path out of homelessness has as much to do with economics, geography, culture, domestic partnerships, education, job training, availability of social services and opportunities for success rather than individual motivation alone. Many individuals experiencing homelessness don't have the kind of human support they need to exist in a stable environment. Many individuals have had doors closed in their face at every turn. Many individuals experiencing homelessness were married, but when their spouse passed away, they weren't able to make ends meet on a solo income. Many individuals experiencing homelessness are employed, but are living out of their cars because their minimum wage isn't enough to pay for a security deposit. Many of those experiencing homelessness couldn't afford health insurance and suffered under the pressure of expensive health care. Since the economic downturn, many soup kitchens and shelters have seen a spike in the number of families seeking relief. I believe in finding a balance between providing relief to a suffering individual by offering food and shelter, but also providing services that develop each individual's ability to find their independence. In a country so wealthy and with access to so many resources, there should be no reason we can't provide relief for the most vulnerable and exposed among our citizens in a sustainable and responsible way. In developing countries, social entrepreneurship and microfinance is a way for the poor to pull themselves out of poverty. America is less accepting of this practice.

      I'm wondering if there is a deeper question to be asked here.

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