The Social Un-Conscience: a tale of 2 meals

6:15 AM - The line for eggs and sausage winds through the gym. A select few cut through to the front of the line. A hush befalls the crowd as a Bible passage is read by a pastor. With heads bowed, what are the homeless praying for? A new job? A friend? A bed? Merely to survive? Or maybe to die?

“Amen.” The line lurches forward.

For the vagrant searchers, being broke and jobless quickly lead to stagnation and desperation. The results of which happen to be addiction and depression. In a world filled with little to no hope due to a lack of upward mobility, the homeless fall into a cycle of failure that is not easy to break. Hanging on to a glimmer of hope might be the only chance. Sometimes, that glimmer of hope can come from someone simply believing in them. The question is: who will take the time to listen to their needs? They are unable to participate in much of society due to a lack of hope in life.

12:15 PM – Coat tails and ties flutter in the wind while the boys rush to be first in the line (of 20 students). The clammer of children bounces off the Bush-clad bumpers of the SUV’s crowding the parking lot. Do they think twice before eating, wondering where their next meal will come from?

Granted that high schoolers in general are not exactly concerned with any society outside of their own, but will these kids ever be concerned for anyone besides those in their own social strata? “It just frustrates me when they (the homeless) won’t get jobs.” – from private school student A who helped out earlier in the morning. Are these students taught to look so far up the ladder of success that looking down is not only preposterous, but only useful as a reminder of what not to be? They are unable to participate in helping much of society due to selfish hopes for life.


Breakfast for the homeless. Lunch with private school. A huge paradox within the exact same city. What do a homeless man and a kid from private school have in common (besides hunger)? Well – both are caught in a stagnant world.

Two concentric schools of thought. Insuffiency v. indulgence. What can be done to bring the two together? Will the social un-conscience ever awake?