More than Homeless
Just came upon this human being on a main street in Steglitz, Berlin. Hundreds of well-dressed shoppers walking around him. Surreal. I burst into tears with sorrow and outrage. No one should have to live like this. Ever. It will be down to 8C at night next week. Yeah, I know, people have emotional problems, etc. But my first instinct is always to protect and defend the underdog. My tears were also because of a feeling of total helplessness. I wish I could round up every human in the world like this and nurture (love) them better. But we’d probably need our own big country as the number of people would be so huge. (Hmm… come to think of it, I might be joining them in one week if I can’t find somewhere to live when my current abode finishes!). I saw a guy outside Starbucks near Potsdamer Platz in a terrible state. Filthy, deathly pale, skinny as a stick and worn down. He must have been about 20 years old. I said to him “Wait here. Don’t go away”. I dived inside and bought him the kind of lunch I would have liked and gave it to him. He began to cry mournfully. Turns out he’s a junkie. I talk to many homeless people and they all have a story. Life is a bitch and then you die. Without a roof really is the most rock-bottom place to be in life. They aren’t just homeless. It’s more than that. They are without shelter, having lost all hope and living in shit — literally, if you look at the guy’s “blanket” in the photo. Everyone needs some defensible space. Maybe we should try and find that big country to live in (or should it be planet?). Maybe I should organise a benefit concert for the homeless. Now there’s an idea. Anyone care to join me in that?
The Naked Troubadour 