When you log onto Facebook, chances are your timeline is full of BuzzFeed cooking tutorials and what one could say is too many funny animal videos (but really, we can never have too many if we’re being honest here). What a lot of people fail to recognize though are the videos that mean a bit more than food and dogs. I’m talking about the videos that portray our everyday heroes. The people who are full of selflessness that restore my faith in humanity every time I press play.
Recently, I came across one of these videos, and I just knew it was something that had to be shared. It follows a New York musician by the name of Chris Leary, who can often be found playing his guitar on street corners. What makes his street performance stand out from the rest is the company he has as he plays. Leary purposely performs next to the homeless in order to attract more people and ultimately more money. All the money Chris makes is then given to the person sitting by his side at the end of his performance. He started the hashtag #HePlaysForMe as a way of raising awareness for the cause.
What struck me the most about this story was the bond he formed with a man he met by the name of Miguel. The first time they met, Miguel was doing what any caring person would as he offered to help a woman who tripped. Miguel admits in a heartfelt interview that although he feels that he wants to just give up, he believes in the positivity that’s existing in the world enough to know that he just has to be strong and keep moving forward. Chris is without a shadow of a doubt the positive force that has helped Miguel through this difficult time and in the end, why shouldn’t he be helped?
What I feel people fail to realize is that homeless people are people. That means that they have feelings, they have needs and most importantly, they have stories. Not all stories are a fault of their own. Some people end up where they are because they may not have the support that everyone else receives on a daily basis. I am fortunate enough to have a family who cares for me and support in all aspects of my life, whether it be at work, at school, or anywhere else. Sometimes the prevention of losing so much could happen with just one person who is willing to sacrifice some of their time in the name of others.
Look around you. The four walls that surround you, the phone or computer that you’re reading this from, even the clothes on your back, are a product of someone’s determination, whether it be your own or someone else’s. Some people are not as fortunate to have such a stable groundwork to build off of as I am sure many people have. Take away the people you know or the education you were fortunate enough to receive and see if you are sitting in the same position. All it takes is one bump in the road to change the outcome of your life. Their bump was just too much to overcome. That shouldn’t be their fault, though.
Instead of looking down on the homeless, we should be treating them as our equals, because the bigger picture shows in black and white that we are all just people. We are meant to help one another, not put each other down. The stigma against the homeless needs to be put to an end. I think more people should take a page out of Chris Leary’s book. In the end, he looked at people like Miguel and only saw what they truly were -- human.
