Digital Stories: We Are All Equal

Do you know or have you seen someone who is homeless and said to yourself, "I wish I had some money or something I could give to help them out?" 

By Anthony Martinez

This is my way to teach you how to show love to a person in need who just wants to be a normal member of society. Let's get this started! There are many ways you can help.

How would you feel if you had no friends and felt shunned because of your homeless label? That would be hurtful and you'd be lonely. When you look at people, it's natural to make snap judgments of their appearance, but those stereotypes are not necessarily accurate. Not every homeless person is crazy or a drug addict. And not everyone who is homeless just wants money.

While I was homeless I never asked for money or food. What I did want was respect, someone to pray for me, or someone to just show they cared and be a friend.

There are many other ways that you can show you care. Sitting and talking with a homeless person or just saying say hi to them is a good place to start. Small things like that could make a homeless person feel better and relieve some stress. Next, if you decide to talk to them, get an understanding of why they're homeless. Try to understand what they're going through as an individual and show some support by listening to what he or she is saying. Make sure that you show respect because you're both human and just in different phases in life. My favorite thing when I was homeless was getting a good laugh, so if you're funny, use it when talking to a homeless person because everyone can use a smile. I bet you would be amazed at how small something could change your life.

One other thing I want you to understand is that love, respect, and hope rule the world and we all have those qualities inside of us. We can all use those feelings because they are natural tools embedded in our bodies. No matter if you're rich, homeless, big, little, happy, or sad, just know we're all equal and we can grow together.