I am really proud of the people connected to Re:LIFE.
Last night, our Re:LIFE village plus another group of professionals invaded the Calgary Drop-In & Rehab Centre to feed approximately 1,100 to 1,200 homeless in Calgary. Evidently we have over 4,000 homeless which is just as many as Toronto. This is really bad news since Toronto has about five times the number of people as Calgary (approx 1 million to 5 million). Now I haven’t gone out of my way to prove this statistic but even if it is remotely close, there is a huge imbalance.
Regardless of the stats, we spent a couple hours learning the ropes and serving meals. They have a pretty good system to ensure people don’t take advantage of the services. So our group of 20 was able to really fly through the workload. It was a lot of fun. (I have attached some pictures but didn’t really get any good ones because I was either too 
busy running around with food or wanted to respect the clients of the centre.)
I’ll have to admit. After standing in garbage dumps in Nicaragua feeding naked kids who get only two meals a week, it took a bit for me to process standing in one of the wealthiest cities in Canada feeding a homeless population that actually gets two full meals and two snacks a day. One thing is for certain, after you have seen poverty in third world countries, nothing in North America can really shock you.
Comparing poverty locally and internationally brought up some interesting thoughts. Let me share them and hopefully inspire some reflection and discussion.
Thought 1: No Matter Where You Are, Poverty is a Complex Problem that Requires Complex Solutions
It is easy to over simplify poverty. But the solutions are not simple. I think this is why a lot more people don’t help. For example locally, many people seems to just say, “Why don’t they go get jobs?” The fact is many of our homeless do have jobs but the cost of living has skyrocketed so much that they are on the streets. Affordable housing is a solution but that’s not so easy. Another factor is that many of our homeless have disabilities and behavioral dysfunctions that are drastically amplified because of their stress and circumstances. Money is not always a standalone solution.
The same is true for developing countries. As a typical western businessman, I was quick to shoot out solutions in Nicaragua on how the economy could be stimulated. Their response was, “Ed, you don’t think many people before you with much more resources haven’t tried everything you have said before?” It was like a bag of bricks between the eyes revealing my ignorance and arrogance. I was told stories how wealth has ruined entire villages and something simple as a water pump created a co-dependent relationship between the nation and humanitarian organization. It’s not so simple is it?
Thought 2: Men Are in Trouble
There is something common in every country I see poverty in. Men are being put to the test on whether or not they will take responsibility for themselves and their families. We were told that many of the men are homeless because they are battling addictions and some of them have the stress of having four children to support. In other third world countries it isn’t uncommon to see the men in the village just sit around while the women do all the work. I don’t even want to get into the entire “fatherless generation” I see that is creating young men and women who are stunted in maturity and don’t know what having a healthy life of responsibilities is all about.
I know the solution isn’t simple, but if men just took more responsibility (even if it isn’t their fault) we could get to the roots of the issues much quicker.
This is where I have gained a bit of a negative reputation. But I won’t make apologies for my stance on men. I am a man myself that has to struggle with insecurity and fear of insignificance just like everyone else. I know what it is like to face the pressures and fear of failure. I know what it is like to just give up and fall into my own addictions. I have been to the bottom of that pit and I see families being torn apart every day.
And that’s why I am so proud of the MEN that came out last night. It takes a real man to sacrifice a Sunday evening to express love and compassion to others.
Thought 3: We All Suffer from Poverty On Some Level
We are all one unfortunate step away from being in poverty. It is foolish to think that anybody gets up in the morning and intentionally decides to fall into poverty. I read a statistic that up to 75% of Canadians live paycheck to paycheck. That means if they lost their jobs, they would technically fall into poverty.
The other thing is where everybody I saw last night was financially poor, many of us are relationally poor. I won’t get into this but it is a chapter of my book. When I was in Nicaragua I witnessed a much healthier culture in terms of family and relational connectedness. Wealth and affluence has a certain way of dividing and isolating people. I know many who have all the security in the world but are just as miserable and behaviorally dysfunctional as people living on the street. They are lonely and living with relational brokeness. The simplicity of a life of survival does have its benefits. Mainly because in general you don’t have time to wallow in your own misery.
So those are my thoughts. I might not be popular for them but it is how I feel. I’d love to know what others are thinking.
