Culture Shock

One of the biggest culture shocks of my life was I went downtown with an organization called Chicago’s Beloved to hand out sandwiches to the homeless and to pray with them.

I know homeless people are in everyone’s culture, but I feel like they’re almost another culture to themselves because we Americans sure as hell make sure they don’t mingle with us. I don’t know how they live, I don’t know their social rules. I don’t know them just like I don’t know people in Taiwan.

On Jackson boulevard right before you cross the bridge, there is a homeless man named Larry. If you take this way often, you know him by his district voice when he calls out for change. He was one of the first ever homeless people I met.

I hung back when my group of three others went to greet him because I had no idea what to expect. He shook everyone’s hands and gave Josh, one of the founders of CB, a hug. I moved forward and also shook his hands. We talked to him about the weather, his health and other things. Josh asked if he wanted us to pray for him and he said yes, so we all joined hands and bowed our heads. Larry started the prayer, and prayed for us. He was praying for us. Young kids (to him) that had warm clothes on their backs, money in our pockets, warm homes to go back to, and basically anything we need available to us. I was so… shocked. And so humbled. Here was a man standing before me, who literally is the definition of fallen on hard times, and he was praying for me, a kid who has more than I’ll ever need. And he was praying for my life.

I had never felt so lucky in my life. I have also never been so disappointed in myself. As a kid going downtown to see the museums or a show, your parents instinctively pull you away from anyone homeless. You’re either taught to just ignore the homeless, or are just too shy and too unsure of what to do when you pass them. I had passed countless homeless people all my life, and I have never had a complete conversation with one. I had passed up the chance countless times to maybe brighten someone’s days by just acknowledging that they exist and treating them like a human being and not a fixture on the concrete sidewalk.

Culture shock? More like a culture wake up.