It’s 5am. Just got back from supper. Burp. Prior to that, me and the BF joined REACH OUT on one of their outings distributing food to the homeless in our “beautiful” city, Kuala Lumpur. We started at 11.30pm and finished at 3.30am.
REACH OUT is a strictly non-profit, non-political & non-religious organisation that aims to provide nutrition, medical support and training skills for the homeless so that they could one day re-enter and contribute to society.
I found out about REACH OUT via TLC Promise Me, whom I worked with last year to raise funds to buy a hospital bed for Goo Tyng Tong.
Homelessness is quite a unique problem. It doesn’t get as much attention or sympathy compared to say…orphans. For some reason, people tend to brush it off as a result of laziness. Eh, these homeless people are able bodied, so why can’t they get a job?
Well, tonight I learnt that homelessness is not caused by laziness. It’s just that sometimes, some people can be dealt with really cruel cards in life.
# – No, they’re not having a picnic.
Sometimes, they could be born to poor uneducated parents whose parents were also poor & uneducated.
Sometimes, they could be impregnated by abusive men with equally abusive family members.
And sometimes, if the universe decided to be humourous, they could even be both.
The circumstances of the homeless in KL are completely unimaginable to us, people who choose not to eat so we could be thin – the spoilt bourgeoisie. They are stuff soap operas are made of, minus the glitz, glamour & happy endings.
# – Down the storm drain, here we go.
So….laziness? Don’t these people wish they have the luxury to be lazy.
After seeing what I saw tonight, I’m honestly slightly embarrassed by my own dissatisfaction with life. Here is a dumbass who got upset because she can’t afford to go to Maldives to dive. There are worse things to get upset over, you know what I mean?
Right now I am thankful for what I have and who I have to lean on to.