One look into this young man's eyes, and I knew I must make this image easily reached by me on a daily basis, therefore I made it a favorite. You have captured a certain sadness, a crushed nature of the common man amongst the gears that we call our daily life. Viewing this every day will renew my sense of obligation, and give me the reality check our bonds with government have so sorely been lacking.

I wonder, does this also not tell us about the chance involved in charity. Your generous offer being refused, was it pride, or was it complacency? Either way, I can only imagine the shuffling of his feet as he left opened your mind to the greater view of contractual norms and how they interact amongst the classes. Well done my friend, you have just become an arbiter amongst the haves and the have-nots, a key maker if you will...

That was a really moving comment. I wish I could really take credit here. I feel like I'm just part of a greater global community here with myriad interactions and causal relationships. Such an interconnected web just makes situations "happen" without any apparent rhyme or reason outside of the fact that we are all just on this floating rock whirling through space. I think the movie "Crash" really captures that sort of organic magic present in the world that I could be so lucky to have been a part of. The bittersweet nature of that interaction is like a sad song that always reminds us to hold strong to our values. I really feel proud that I was receptive and ready for this kind of a situation. In my past, there were times when I simply would have passed on without even thinking about it. IF this photo has any message, it is that we shouldn't just "walk on." That isn't to say that you have to feel obligated to throw a homeless person some cash or buy them dinner. That isn't to say you should even feel obligated to stop and talk. However, you can really expand your understandings of this crazy world we live in by investigating it without prejudice. Judge afterwards in the comfort of your nice middle class apartment or looking up with hunger for what you desire to have in your life someday. In the moment, just think and interact. Everything in life doesn't have a glorified tint to it. For the aesthetically beautiful to exist, there has to be something to weight it against (the "ugly"). People need to find their orientation in this area by getting out there and living life. Hopefully this photo and this anecdote will help others get something out of the photo, just like you did. Thank you so much for your time and your appreciation.

-E

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Will critique for food.

It does not take an enlightened man to see the profound impact such a chance encounter had on your mind. The meshing of the theoretical and the very real are never so magical as when you have an opportunity to ask that of those you would never know on such personal and intimate terms, and yet it does make one question this meeting.

The aesthetic aside (my tutor was one for the overflowing imagery, and could never quite drive that point home to me) the very real seems to be straight forward and necessary, but what can be done? How can we impact these souls from our positions, without being "those from on high"? Is there ever a more poignant and evincing argument that our system is not working correctly, that we are not purging our body of the evils. Ugliness is one thing, but evil is quite some thing else, and this young man, who we should not forget in our travels, is the one left to be poisoned by just such a system. May all be well with you friend, and let us work for what is right.

The perspectives given above me upon this piece are simply fascinating. I mean, in some ways, this image could come across as just a simple snapshot - but when you really know the background to it; why, it's devastating to think that we humans have created a society, where a young man should feel the need, for whatever reason, to live on the streets, sheltering in a punlic library doorway for warmth.

I do agree with you, E, that a person needs to have their mind straight enough to pull themselevs out of the gutter without falling back in again - it takes a hefty thought process to understand truly and deeply why being leading a life that has comfort and warmth, friendship and food, should be more desirable than the freedom of living on the streets - for as the great Janis Joplin said - "freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose".

In saying that, to put a personal perspective on the matter, my sicteen year old brother, who has a warm house, food on the table when he wants it, and a willing chauffeur of our mother, things that nothing could be better than to be a "hobo" as he so charmingly puts it. He sees it as freedom from prescribed living - why should he, he demands, work for walmart in a low end job (as this will be all he will be qulaified to do since he refuses to work in school as a part of regualted anarchy decided upon by him and his friends) and not be able to afford anything, when he could instead, live on the streets, with a free perspective of the world, and rely on the charity of others.

On that thought, I will leave you, as I have to provide said brothers evening meal.

But thank you again for posting such a thought provoking, heart wrenching image.

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Make a worthwhile comment!

An absolutely brilliant and revealing anecdote if I do say so myself. You shine the light brightest on the question we as a society must decide, are men like this pliable with good words or with real force. Your brother, is he more pliable alone or with said "anarchist" friends, and do you really see him migrating to a state that this sad man in the photo currently inhabits.

I wonder if it just has been too long for the that grizzled facade in the photo, where good words have lost meaning. Have we as a society learned to ground down the meaning of charity, the meaning of chance, do we need to now take the starving dog and beat it in to him? Ahh, to grapple with the lives of those on the edge.

Yeah! very deep after reading that! I only just noticed the filler up bag!
good shot!

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"Mum, Dad I love you! please don't sell me to Paris Hilton." -Butters, South Park.

The filler up bag was such a wonderfully spontaneous and organic addition to the photo that just happened to be on the wall when we took the picture. You can see the "filler up" bag on the wall of somebody with a place to go home to at night. Then you can see the homeless man's cart that he pushed around (he collected cans) that is equally empty. The emptiness of the homeless man's bag is really profound. His trash bag is simple and as unpretentious as it gets. The filler up bag was probably mass produced in China under slave labor conditions to be sold for a 1,000% profits. Yet, we never can seem to get enough, can we? Even when we have things in life to appreciate, there is always some new gadget or gizmo to aquire. The motto of the 20th Century should be changed from "do not go gentle into that good night" to "filler up." It would probably be more appropriate in today's modern age of high gas prices and commodity fetishism.
What lessons should we take from this? What should we "filler up" with? Should we fill 'er up with "stuff" or should we fill ourselves with ideas and knowledge? I think comparing the homeless man's empty bag to my friend's empty bag serves to remind us many people in today's culture are as spiritually homeless as the man in the picture is LITERALLY homeless. We all need to understand what is going on in our lives and take a proactive role so that way we can find our true way home.

-E

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Will critique for food.

well, that's the longest reply I've ever had...and will ever have!
you made some interesting points there!

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"Mum, Dad I love you! please don't sell me to Paris Hilton." -Butters, South Park.