marycat, The people who choose to remain homeless doesn't necessarily equate to unhappiness. I bet there are people making over $100,000 a year that are unhappy, miserable, and wish their life was someplace else. Maybe some of those hobos and homeless are ahead of life's game. c.i.
I think my question is being misunderstood.
What I am specifically asking about is what cavfancier said,
". . . in fact, some have told me that this is a lifestyle choice for them, and they don't really have any desire to live any other way."
Perhaps I misinterpreted, but it sounded to me like he was talking about conversations with normally-functioning adults who have made a conscious choice between real, obtainable, alternatives.
I realize that many people "choose" homelessness because they really do not understand how to choose any other life. Many people simply do not have the skills or knowledge to keep a job and a home. I realize also that many people choose it because it is the only way they are able to get the medical assistance they need, and they live better in shelters and prisons and hospitals than on the outside. And I realize that most of the homeless became so through no choice of their own, and are doing their best to pull themselves up when it is next to impossible to do so.
What I am asking about is the phenomenon of choosing homelessness when there really are alternatives. Maybe I read into cav's post too much, but it sounded to me like when he talked to homeless people in his town, a few of them had the wherewithal to get out and improve their lives and made an informed choice not to. This is what baffles me.
Perhaps I am incorrect. Perhaps these are people who are living in and out of hospitals. Perhaps these are people who lack the skills to stay employed and adequately housed. Perhaps these people really were not making an educated choice. Perhaps I am confused. I was simply reacting to what cav stated as his experience, which did not match with my own.
Mant people who do not have the choice claim it is a choice. I'd wonder if it were "sour grapes" if a homeless person told me that he/she could have a place to stay but preferred homelessness.
That is a possible explanation. That makes sense.
I know that homelessness is, generally speaking, not a real choice. I know how hard it is to make ends meet and pay off debt when I have an apartment, a lot of education, and two jobs. I can only imagine how much harder it would be starting at absolute zero. I never intended to imply that picking oneself back up was easy.
I simply couldn't understand how, when presented with real alternatives, it sounded like some individuals stated that they consciously chose not to even try.
marycat, a couple of the homeless people I know who chose that life were veterans, who just didn't feel they 'fit in'. It is a bit like the paratroopers who came back to the USA after WWII and started biker clubs, including the Hell's Angels, choosing a life on the road over a sedentary safe one. These people may be in the minority, they may even be shell-shocked or worse, but some do choose that lifestyle. For better or worse, anyone with decent mental faculties chooses their life path. If they are happy with it (or in some cases, are not willing to accept help), more power to them, I don't feel it is my place to intrude. There are always alternatives, but again, it is indeed tough when you are that far down.
Some people just do not have the motivation to improve their lifestyle to what the greater society deems as "making it." Maybe three squares a day and adequate shelter are not 'their thing.' Theyve become accustomed to what they don't have, and feel comfortable they're not out to change the world. c.i.
Thanks, cav
That's what I really needed to know. I like to understand why people do the things they do, especially when their decisions and statements are so completely different from the decisions and statements I would make.
There is a personal feeling of alienation among the homeless and hobos. I experienced enough of it to live that way myself, many years ago. One of the semi-homeless people I knew told me he had the option to return to his family and that it would not be hard for him to get a job and a home. "I just never fit in" is what he said of his entire life. So, he was there in Kansas City, working as a day laborer, not contemplating doing anything else. There are variations of this story all over America. Even though I lived like these people a number of times, the big difference is, I always had places to go when I wanted companionship or family. I had grown up with a family that moved at least a couple of times every year. I think, when I was grown, the inertia kept me moving until several things happened to put a break on it. Alienation is a condition that is never entirely cured. Even though I own my home and have four grown children with children of their own, I could return to such a life if I lost my wife and not really suffer for the transition. I don't need much more than a notebook and a change of clothing to survive. While I don't drink much beer anymore, it is nice to know somebody understands one's needs for more than a sandwich and a respectable job.
People, please check out this link, Able2Know was noticed:
http://www.beerforthehomeless.com/media.htm
Wow, monger looks even sillier all shrunk up like that...
Methinks their site will get a lot more publicity as time goes on.
