Beautiful, Kevin. It is a delicate balance. But erring on the side of grace has proven best, time and again for me. Will it end of being a mistake some times? Maybe. But it still feels better than going to the side of judgment. Great story.
Kevin, thank you for the perspective on accountability & responsibility. Helpful to have a different lens to share as I talk to folks about these issues. You mention that "The part of our brain that processes long-term consequences... cannot develop in traumatic circumstances". That's something I hadn't heard before. I'm curious to know the research behind that, can you point me to some references? Thanks!
Thank you so much for this. There are ways to show both compassion and help people grow in independence. And thanks for acknowledging how difficult daily decisions can be. Our judgement of folks living on the street, can come from such a privileged place -- privileges not just financially, but more importantly even is the privilege of growing up in safe places with safe people.
PREACH BROTHER! You said everything that needed to be said, and you said it so well. There are a lot of people out there who have no clue what it's really like to be homeless. They also have no idea how people become homeless. This prevailing attitude that homelessness is caused by irresponsibility or drug addiction or laziness is just so wrong and so not true. There are a whole lot of us who are one paycheck away from being homeless. Once you are homeless it's really difficult to get out of that situation, and people just don't understand that; or they don't care to understand it. I lived in Chicago all of my life until 7 years ago when I moved out here to Indiana. I was very involved in serving the homeless in the Chicago area. I wanted to continue that when I came to Indiana. I couldn't find a homeless shelter to serve at. Indiana acts like homelessness doesn't exist. That's really sad because it really does and there's a lot of people that need the help. Burying our heads in the sand is not going to make homelessness go away. Keep doing what you're doing brother. You're making a difference.
This was so well-written and conveyed such important messages. Your posts have been so helpful for me in learning how to engage with others on these topics, especially when they throw around rhetoric that I know I disagree with but am unsure how to respond to. Thank you so much for all you do in this field. Your book and your writings have been such a huge blessing in my life!
Beautiful, Kevin. It is a delicate balance. But erring on the side of grace has proven best, time and again for me. Will it end of being a mistake some times? Maybe. But it still feels better than going to the side of judgment. Great story.
So well said. Thank you for a fabulous article.
Kevin, thank you for the perspective on accountability & responsibility. Helpful to have a different lens to share as I talk to folks about these issues. You mention that "The part of our brain that processes long-term consequences... cannot develop in traumatic circumstances". That's something I hadn't heard before. I'm curious to know the research behind that, can you point me to some references? Thanks!
Thank you so much for this. There are ways to show both compassion and help people grow in independence. And thanks for acknowledging how difficult daily decisions can be. Our judgement of folks living on the street, can come from such a privileged place -- privileges not just financially, but more importantly even is the privilege of growing up in safe places with safe people.
PREACH BROTHER! You said everything that needed to be said, and you said it so well. There are a lot of people out there who have no clue what it's really like to be homeless. They also have no idea how people become homeless. This prevailing attitude that homelessness is caused by irresponsibility or drug addiction or laziness is just so wrong and so not true. There are a whole lot of us who are one paycheck away from being homeless. Once you are homeless it's really difficult to get out of that situation, and people just don't understand that; or they don't care to understand it. I lived in Chicago all of my life until 7 years ago when I moved out here to Indiana. I was very involved in serving the homeless in the Chicago area. I wanted to continue that when I came to Indiana. I couldn't find a homeless shelter to serve at. Indiana acts like homelessness doesn't exist. That's really sad because it really does and there's a lot of people that need the help. Burying our heads in the sand is not going to make homelessness go away. Keep doing what you're doing brother. You're making a difference.
This was so well-written and conveyed such important messages. Your posts have been so helpful for me in learning how to engage with others on these topics, especially when they throw around rhetoric that I know I disagree with but am unsure how to respond to. Thank you so much for all you do in this field. Your book and your writings have been such a huge blessing in my life!