Buat renungan bersama..
-Nobody wants to be homeless-
FMT LETTER: Mohd Zainal Ameer, via e-mail
Today was just an ordinary day, like many other warm
summer’s day. The Newcastle high street was buzzing with people, going around
from shop to shop buying things they need and things they want. I was among
these people, shopping for gifts for my parents and siblings.
And among the throng, I noticed this young man, with a
sleeping bag in his hands, a torn black track bottom and a well worn hoody. If
you are familiar with British high street, you would have known that he was a
homeless person.
He was going from one person to another, approaching them,
but as soon as he came near the people, he quickly back away again. He did not
utter a single word to the people he approached, not even to ask for any coins.
It was as if he was on auto mode. There was no discernible
expression in his face. Just staring into an empty space. Time and time people
chose to pretend he did not exist.
Being ignored by the people he approached must have been
like a knife cutting into his heart little by little, killing him softly every
time a person just looks the other way, or walks faster to avoid him.
I can only imagine what he felt inside, not being
acknowledged by a fellow human being. It was as if, he is not a living
breathing human, but a shadow, or a piece of rubbish on the floor.
I walked slowly, to see if he would approach me, so that
maybe I offer help, if only very little. But he did not. He walked further on,
and I slowed down enough to walk alongside him.
And he spoke. The first word after what seems like a
lifetime of silence. ‘Can I have 60 pence mate, so I can get something to
eat?’. And I offered him. ‘I can get you something to eat. Do you want
anything?’.
‘Yes please.’ His voice was just audible, shaky, sounding
uncertain…being turned away by people so many times.
I noticed that his previously expressionless face now lit
up. His eyes flickered a sign of life. Showing me that, underneath, someone is
there. And someone is alive. It was as if a switch was turned on somewhere.
We walked to the nearest Greggs. In the bakery, I told him
to get anything he wanted, and as many as he liked. I asked if he’s had
anything today, just to see if he had eaten today, and came the heartbreaking
reply.
‘I haven’t eaten for two days’.
He picked two sandwich. I offered him to take a third one,
so he can keep it for the night or for tomorrow. He said no, he has enough now.
A person who has not eaten for two days, refused to take more than what he
needed.
He picked a bottle of soft drink after I asked if he wanted
something to drink, and at the counter he politely asked if he could get a
piece of flapjack.
Before we went our separate ways, I tried to make sure he
was getting the help he needed. I enquired whether he has contacted the council
for help with housing.
‘Yes, I have. They put me on the waiting list’.
Where do you sleep at night? He pointed towards a small lane
between the blocks of shops.
‘Do you have family?’ I asked, in case he can returned to
stay with them. ‘No, my parents died when I was small, and I have been in
foster care since then’.
Okay, make sure you contact the Council, see if they can
help you, okay?
‘Yes, I am trying my hardest. Nobody wants to be homeless.’
‘Nobody wants to be homeless.’
He is homeless, and he taught me about the real meaning of
being a human.
His soft, sad voice made it that bit harder to stomach. He
taught me that in this country of unimaginable wealth, there are still people
without a roof over their heads.
He put my life into perspective. I was spending £80 for some
gifts that maybe thrown away after a few years of use, while he was only asking
for 60 pence so he can get something to eat, after two days of hunger.
He taught me not to just assume that the homeless person are
alcoholics, drug addicts, or mentally ill but to see them as human beings in a
desperate situation.
I fed a homeless person, but instead of feeling happy that I
did a good deed, it broke my heart.
Be safe my brother. May God be with you, always and forever,
and may I get the chance to see you in Heaven, where there is no more pain,
hunger, cold and no more humiliation.
Ikhlas dr KAMI
Make the homeless SMILE
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