It was us against East Hastings again today after Danelle's work... on the off chance that things really aren't as bad as they seemed... just in case we happened upon surreal day in Vancouver... just so happens that every day is surreal day in Vancouver... just our luck we hit every red light on the way down... just unbelievable once again... just as we got in...
... We saw a Pimp beating up a prostitute... one look from her eyes tells me she really does not know anything better than this... or that she deserves anything better... trapped in her lack of knowledge this man holds her hostage... it's his business... do I make this mine?... would it do any good?...
... And we saw a drug bust... a guy getting frisked beside his car... cops looking through the glove box... clearly not his first time... laughing at the cops... sneering... superior... not a hint of fear... here is the man selling slavery to these people one hit at a time... and not caring how many lives he destroys... these are the predators that rule these streets...
... And we saw a pole dancer using a no parking sign as the pole... rocking a purple spandex tube top/tights combination... a line of men behind her cheering and clapping... surprising that such a crowd could gather so quickly... until it became clear the line was here for the food drive... just behind... handing out boxes of help... important help... needed help... for people in dire straits... encouraged in most every way by Jesus help... and yet a moral dilemma for me... help?...
... for it's consequences lead to a dependence on help... and keeps them on these streets looking for help... there is no desperation to get out... to get up... to work... and help themselves... it's the creed of every republican... we help people by making them help themselves...
... one of the earliest English texts deals with this exact problem... when taken care of most people don't care anymore... and the hero Pier's Plowman wondering how he can get these lazy men to work... the answer from his servant hunger; to starve them into desperation... it worked and now they work...
... but here we see human nature... the more you do for them the less they do for themselves... the more they become dependent, the less chance they have to help themselves... they take the easy way out... they don't have a chance to prove what they can do... they're not forced to make a life... to think... to struggle... it's a democrats bedtime story... a 'we keep them in this place by serving them' campaign... and the more you do for them the more power you hold over them... makes you wonder about Jesus' statement, 'he who wants to be greatest must be a servant to all'... for what is a king if not a servant?...
... in this case I do recognize a difference here... between those truly in need and those looking for a free ride... and here they really could not help themselves... here the blind man is king of the lame... here are people thrown out of a nearby mental institution when it dropped its numbers from 4000 to 400... here the rest are on these streets... this is different... here is true desperation...
... and people have a way of taking advantage of desperation...
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