There are several things I took from this segment, including: that the Stanford student believed that the lessons he derived from volunteer work was so impactful that he hopes his grandchildren will experience the same. The second thing is: that no matter how good our intentions and the service we put in to get all of American society on its feet and out of shelters it is not a reasonable goal.
What would it take to create a society where people didn’t have to sleep in shelters or in the streets? It would take billions of dollars, millions of jobs and countless thousands of full time volunteers. It is unreasonable to expect that we can provide for the millions of homeless in the course of a century, for our grandchildren. We can’t spend money that doesn’t exist, create jobs out of thin air and find a fulltime work force who will work for free. We live in capitalistic society; we are all about substance, wealth and power that is the basis of our world. No doubt, I’m sure the United States has the resources to certainly make a dent in our domestic homeless situation but it does not appear to have the will.
This is not say, “don’t volunteer” or “its not worth the time” , its to appreciate that when volunteering it is impossible to look at the big picture of ending homelessness and see it ending in our lifetime or our children’s life time. You should volunteer because you wish to help families out of compassion and the will to aid your community. Lack of resources doesn’t stop volunteers work or the work for a brighter future but it does hinder it. Without a great deal of resources from the government or government programs you won’t see dramatic change but know that YOU are making a difference.
“we should work to heal the wounds of our culture whether or not government programs support our efforts.”
We can change this world, together, united as one. We can help push the boundaries of poverty and homelessness, whether it’s helping one family, one person or one child; we can make a difference.
It may be impossible to set an end goal, but it is not impossible to help reach that end goal and help numerous people along the way.
-Nathaniel Chapman
Enviorment
Nathaniel Chapman's post
ReplyDeleteI agree Nate, the government does not always back up the good movements, but movements for a healthy change in the world still need good strong people to help reach that end goal.
ReplyDeleteWhether the gov't puts in place measures to combat homelessness or not, we the people can do what is right with out them. If you have the right people, who are diligent and determined, anything is possible!
Great blog Nate!