Today I saw a man stretched out on a bench, filthy and covered in rags. He was just outside Osgoode Hall and as he got up and began to rave against the world lawyers and business people looked away. Some children, in the City for 'bring a child to work day' looked afraid but most just ignored the madman.
I am not here to blame those who walked by. Anyone who would stop for each homeless person in Toronto would never get any work done at all.
But I will blame society. And that includes me.
Not for wealth in the face of poverty -- there is welfare available to provide a decent life and such is available to the City's street people.
No I blame us for allowing those who are clearly deranged to be allowed to hurt themselves.
There is a soft hearted soft headedness in allowing the mentally ill to wander the streets. It falls under a misapplication of the concept of 'whose life is it anyway?'.
People who are competent and know what they are doing should be allowed to, say, sleep in a field in the winter. It may be a dumb thing to do but that is their right.
But when people are not competent to allow them to 'judge for themselves' is mere cruelty.
I am not here to blame those who walked by. Anyone who would stop for each homeless person in Toronto would never get any work done at all.
But I will blame society. And that includes me.
Not for wealth in the face of poverty -- there is welfare available to provide a decent life and such is available to the City's street people.
No I blame us for allowing those who are clearly deranged to be allowed to hurt themselves.
There is a soft hearted soft headedness in allowing the mentally ill to wander the streets. It falls under a misapplication of the concept of 'whose life is it anyway?'.
People who are competent and know what they are doing should be allowed to, say, sleep in a field in the winter. It may be a dumb thing to do but that is their right.
But when people are not competent to allow them to 'judge for themselves' is mere cruelty.
2 comments:
you sound like a very compassionate person.
They should be arrested, taken to jail or put in mental hospitals or drug rehab until their well enough. Most prostitutes are drug addicts too but make enough money selling themselves to pay for a place to stay.
The justice system needs to be put to use for a change in this country.
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