Can anyone tell me how to have empathy for the homeless?

Question

I am working on things to better myself and one thing I seem to be stuck on is having feelings for the homeless with the exception of children. I see it as a weakness and laziness on their part and don't understand why they don't get help sooner. I just can't seem to find it in my heart to care about them. When they panhandle the only thing I can think of is "get a job". Afterall, I work for my money. Please help.

Answer 1

Ill give you a clue about homeless.. Ok..first of all some are victims of circumstances..others are people with degrees and high technology back grounds are people that had fortunes and just lost it totally.Some are people that grew up poor that never made it out of the gutter and others have just fallen on circumstances that they cannot help.First of all if one comes up to you on the street with a sad story .. he or she probably isnt in need.Alot of people make great livings begging..If they are half way believable tell them you will personally take them to a restaurant to eat..If they are asking for car repairs or gas money to another city ..they probably are doing the same routine to someone else..usually the ones in need you have to do a little looking for ..They aren't normally going to approach you .If you want to help call a local homeless shelter or mission and ask them how you can help..There are many that camp out in seedy parts of town and live out of garbage cans.. There are many that go from place to place and mission to misson.Those are usually the ones that are down on their luck and not able to work for some reason or another.They may look healthy and able to work but they have no mental ability to work.There are many ways to look around your city and find people that are struggling to work and make it..Those are the people you can help if you want to ..or call the local churches or missions and ask how you can help or if you see someone that is downtrodden or is going through the trash offer them a lunch or a few dollars but if someone comes up to you with a sob story dont buy it..They are the ones that are pulling down 40 to 50 thousand a year begging and they will hit you up and then go to the next person and so on..So just beware but don't ever assume that someone can work if they look like they can..Many of these people are the most educated in the world but can't seem to keep it together mentally or they have fallen on bad circumstances.. Please don't judge until you have been in their shoes..sometimes just a smile can save a persons life.I am fine and doing better than I could have ever imagained in my life.I try to help others and give to those who try and even those than cannot for one reason or another but never ever ever give to those who ask ..The needy or real homeless are the ones that wont ask.I found myself that way some years ago by no circumstances of my own.A victim of circcumstances.I pulled myself up and found myself employed and in a better place than I could have ever been..The cost of that help was a smile from an older woman that was giving me a TB test..All day I was so depressed from something that happened to me that wasnt my fault finding people snearing at me i was ready to commit suicide and she smiled at me..It saved my life and gave me courage to go forward..Now after all these years my life has changed a thousand fold and I have been blessed so many ways with a wonderful family and home and more than I could ever ask for..I believe with all my heart that the one smile I got that day caused everything to follow behind ,saved my life and kept me going to do well and suceed in my life..So I hope that my story will help you a little understand what should and should not be done and if you need any guidance in the future please don't hesitate to email me.I can help you with advice..I feel for the truly needy and I see them everyday ..You can change a life for very little yet people seem to ignore human beings everyday and because they have nothing they are treated like nothing,But if you take time to help pull them out of a hole just a little help then one day they take the time to return that to another and another ..its like a domino affect..You find your world a better place.. take care and thanks for letting me answer your question..

Answer 2

While it is a fact that some people panhandle out of laziness, there are some people that are on the street because they have hit a patch of bad luck.
Life has it's ups and downs and sometimes people hit downs that are devastating. The "get a job" attitude isn't really fair because there aren't enough decent jobs to go around.
Maybe you need to try to put yourself in the shoes (if they have) of a less fortunate person and see how difficult being homeless can be.

Answer 3

Kurt Vonnegut wrote that you take nothing from yourself each time you allow someone the dignity they deserve just because they are human. Many did not start out homeless but because of illness or family hardship they became overwhelmed. Problems magnify and survival is the only motivation they have left. Thank goodness that there are shelters and food pantries that help people. Some of these people can't get or hold a job. They have no home, no car and not much else.

Answer 4

Working on making yourself better does not mean that you have to have empathy or sympathy for everyone on earth. Awareness of the things in this life, situations, people and consciousness to help and not help does not mean you have to lend alms to all in need. Sometimes, to help someone is not to help them at all.

If you want to help people, you must help them gain their self-esteem and freedom to become independent. Helping someone to be dependent on someone else is not benefitting anyone at all.

Look around at the truth around you. These homeless people, most of them, do it by choice. There are quite a few who are not mentally capable of having a 'normal' life like we do because they may have mental disability. And then there are some who were left at their dire situation out of life's mishaps. So many reasons why people are homeless on the streets - but you can see for yourself that a lot of them are capable of getting a job. But what you have to remember is that they made a choice NOT to get a job. If they get alms, great. If not, then tough for them. But they would rather not have any responsibilities at all than have the stress that we all do out of juggling and copingn with our responsibililties. Their lifestyle is just completely different to how most people would like to live it.

Don't judge. People are the way that they are because they either choose to, or they genuinely need help. You will learn that what you think and judge in others may be completely different to the reality of their actual situation. A better self is free of judgment and self comparison.

As you cannot help everybody, choose wisely in where you want to spend your time or money in helping.

The means to independence is the greatest gift you can give to anyone. Don't feed the problem , but end the situation.

Answer 5

I don't know if anyone can persuade you to have empathy.
I think either it pains ne to see others suffering or one is immune to it.

Do you have any type of religious affiliation? If so, ask this same question in that body.

But,

Some are homeless as the result of having fled abusive spouses...surely you can feel for one who left all of her worldly possessions behind for fear of being attacked?
Others are not able to "get a job" because they are mentally ill.

Apparently you yourself have always had enough,
always lived in abundance?

In that case, consider giving to a facility that provides for those who are not simiarly blessed just as a way of showing gratitude.

Answer 6

You have no sympathy for the children that panhandle, but you do for the adults? That's pathetic- may I suggest therapy, seriously, because children cannot work, they are just children. They should have homes with food on the table and clothes on their backs and should be, like you, typing on yahoo answers, not begging in the streets. Seriously--- seek therapy--- why you cannot relate and feel passionate for little children, is not normal.

Answer 7

Most of the street people have burned out minds from drugs
Or are mentally ill, some to the extreme
Will you kick a dog because he is hungry?

Answer 8

You dont need to have empathy for the homeless. They do not contribute to society in any way except for making jobs for social workers, homeless liasons, and giving the police a way to fill their quota.
Homeless people who literally live on the street have created that type of situation for themselves.
If you're looking for someone to have sympathy and empathy for... try empathizing with middle class america who are not poor enough to get welfare and who are not rich enough to have a a black american express card.

Answer 9

Burn your house down, and I bet you will be very empathetic.