in the name of God, i care

yesterday, i found out about the tragic deaths of three homeless people, two of whom i've had the privilege to offer help to. Bobby had a heart attack. another day, a fire in a tent under Rt 19 suffocated Kathy and Jay before their bodies burned.

these people have hearts and souls, probably more so than the people who drive by them every day and can't stand to look at them. they are the oppressed. they are picked on by officers who have nothing better to do than ticket someone who needs money. sure, some of them use drugs or drink, but that is more because of their circumstances than anything. they were once average people; some owned companies, some had families. we are not to get comfortable in this life, and perhaps their downturns were "wake-up calls" to that. but their lowly position doesn't privilege better-off people the right to ignore them, and especially not to curse them. each of us may be one mistake away from being their neighbors, living under a highway.
i once desired, literally dreamed of living under a bridge, like the hermit in Zelda: A Link to the Past. i don't think of it as living off the work of others, like a parasite of society; if anything, it'd be more like commensalism, thriving off of excess. i'm anti-conservative, especially because of what i hear on the radio regarding illegal immigrants. they say we should each earn our own living, an ideology that would excuse us from tending to the widows and orphans. they uphold the government higher than God, and that is their downfall. but my idea of living under a bridge was just like that hermit, a pleasant-minded man with nothing against anyone, trusting God to take care of my needs, and that being shown through the works of His people. if those people tithe to the church but ignore the oppressed, can they truly belong to Him? if they believe the homeless/ illegals made bad decisions and are unworthy of respect, help, love, how much less deserving are they!
i'm a live-and-let-live person. if i had a home of my own, i would gladly take someone in and try my best to lift them up again, doubtfully as high as they once claimed to be, but anything is better than living in a cardboard tent. if this world were different, i honestly think living under a bridge would be the best thing for me. but as it is, i would be a fool to squander what God has given me, especially since the least i could do is put it to use for those presumably less blessed. i'm not political in any way, but one day i hope to change how these people are treated, by cops especially. i have heard there is a fine for panhandling. that's right, they charge the person asking for money/ food, while the person with enough surplus to give it away is paid no heed. i'm not saying they should fine the people offering help (they actually do; it's considered "blocking traffic"), but that they shouldn't fine either of them. if the municipal government of Paterson needs money that badly, there are plenty of [other] traffic offenders every day that could easily make up for fining a homeless person.

post-script: i feel i must clarify that i am not against authority here, merely of oppression. it's difficult enough being at the bottom of a pit. these people may need help, but they certainly don't need more harm.