I was driven to tears this weekend when I saw a very courteous, well mannered man resort to stealing for survival. He didn't steal booze or electronics like most people would assume. This desperate man stole a sandwich. We're not talking a hot oven toasted meat lovers meal. He took, seemingly shamed, a crappy ham sandwich on soggy bread. It was 30 degrees outside and he was dressed barely sufficiently. I could tell he was so hungry. He had a look on his face that I cannot even describe. He looked like he had been holding out for a few days hoping that meal money would appear by the grace of God somehow but when it didnt he could bear the hunger no longer. He had a sad gleam conveying that he had been down on luck and was now down on himself, like this single act of desperation made him lose spirit. I witnessed this as I was throwing away food, not of my own will. You cannot even imagine the tremendous amount of guilt that overwhelmed me.
I'm sure that at some point in our lives we all have or sadly, will, be unsure where the money will come from (for bills not an iced mocha). Instead of focusing on stopping this problem of poverty we are using our energy and resources to disprove whether or not politicians tattled. Americans are more concerned about us two girls kissing and making sure that they convince us that conformity is righteous, unjudging compassion is weak and true unconditional love is evil and sinful. I admit I'm not a genius but I'm clever enough to recognize priorities.
