Connections: "Charles in Charge"

by Monique Solanki

Human equality is probably something most of us generally agree on. Many societies and religions are based on these principles. After all, irrespective of the age, sexual orientation, race, or socio-economic status of a person, we all share the same basic human qualities - we breathe air, eat food, and have dreams and feelings. Talk to most people and they will agree that all people are equal. But how many of us really abide by these principles?

Many times, people forget this idea of equality. One place where this is perhaps most evident is by the way homeless people are alienated in our society. They are people with their own personalities and individuality, their own beliefs and likings, and yet they are so often looked upon as dirty and the scum of society. The truth is that most of us choose to ignore the very existence of homeless people instead of realizing that they could really use our help. How many people like to go out of their way to give extra change to a person who would consider those few coins a necessity? Who knows, those few quarters could buy a coffee. Better yet, a hash brown. A few quarters under the backseat of your car might mean nothing to you, but they could go a long way toward quenching someone’s thirst or feeding someone’s hunger.
On a recent trip to San Francisco with Charity Focus’ “Help the Homeless,” I traveled with three big-hearted people to prepare lunches and share them with the homeless. We used the lunches as an excuse to reach out to those in need - to hear their stories. One man we spoke with named Charles turned out to be a very interesting and wise person.

We handed Charles a lunch and he accepted it thankfully, shifting his alcohol to hold onto his blankets and lunch, while standing in a green Billabong sweatshirt. Initially, he appeared skeptical with our questions. He seemed a little distrustful and a bit hesitant to answer, perhaps thinking there must certainly be some hidden motive behind this act of charity and friendliness. Soon, he let his guard down when we casually asked him, “What makes you happy?” The expression on his face seemed to say, “These people really do care.”

What I realized when speaking with Charles is that homeless people are used to being ignored. They live life everyday being smirked at. To them, it’s just a fact of life and nothing more; but it obviously is hurtful. Probably as a homeless person, Charles, like so many others, is used to being treated with indifference; he is used to being stereotyped, ignored, objectified, and unseen. No one likes to be looked at as an unwanted being, but social differences have a way of highlighting it repeatedly.
At first, Charles said nothing makes him happy- a knee-jerk pessimistic reaction I thought. Perhaps he was being a little cautious about opening himself up to strangers. As our conversation with him began to take on a more friendly demeanor, he changed his mind and said, “God makes me happy, because God gives knowledge.” After maybe 20 or 30 minutes of chatting, it occurred to me that Charles was not just some man on the street. He wasn’t just some bum. He was both an artist and a clever, insightful man. Charles shared his beliefs on God and the creation of man. He said often, “Man is weak. Man thinks he’s superior, but all he can do is sit there and die.” Charles seemed to be enjoying the conversation and it became obvious when he really opened up and said, “Let me give you an example.” He thought for a moment, touching his graying beard, and then told us his opinion of the inaccuracy of an atheist man. “The atheist man comes up to you and says that all this was here, food and water. It ain’t right. God made them.” He said that we have all kinds of material wealth, but it just brings misery until we realize the greater gift - our belief in God. He then shared his insight on worship and the fetal position many people pray in. He told us of how children sleep in fetal position and from that we discovered his affection for children as he said, “Children are in tune to God.”

Just as some of us have hobbies, like collecting or playing basketball, Charles has his own hobby, or more so, a gift. He passionately spoke to us about his drawing and sketching skills. However his deteriorating eyesight prevented him from pursuing his ardor. He told us how he spent time with learned artists - guys that went to college and studied art in depth. But they all admitted their art didn’t come close to the art of Charles. “They drew from the head; they’d draw what they see,” he said; “My art comes from the heart.” When we asked him where his art was, he told us it was in a gallery and said that his drawings would “blow you away;” drawings of slaves, children, and themes of prisons. They even amaze him. He can’t believe that he had created pieces so moving. Unfortunately we didn’t get a chance to check out the gallery.

He told us more about his artistic abilities and at one point he added that he only drew when he was on drugs. We asked him if he had tried drawing without the influence of drugs, and he shook his head saying that he was “too distracted with the stuff on the streets to draw well.” I then started to understand why people on the streets do drugs. It’s mostly because they have nothing better going for them and even if they do, they don’t realize it or want to realize it. Plus, stopping would result in severe withdrawal effects which really wouldn’t help their suffering as it is. Also, drugs help kick away disillusionment, like getting “locked up at the age of nine,” as Charles did. He claimed he had done nothing wrong. Even things that happen in the past can lead to depression and drugs and harsh living conditions on the streets. Really his story is about a person who is wise and talented, deep and knowing; but also someone who is suffering and not fully in control.

It generally takes some kind of an incident, meeting, or event to take place before a person really understands equality. When the subject is brought up, many people think of race or sex; but rarely do they think of status, when really that’s one of the most important issues, especially in big cities like San Francisco. Luckily for those on the streets, San Francisco is at least a little more accommodative toward the homeless in contrast to Beverley Hills, which shuns homelessness. Not everyone has reached that understanding, and frankly, many people probably won’t. But it just takes a small amount of people to make a difference in someone’s life. Charles was probably relieved, if not happy, that regular people took the time to talk to him, shake his hand, and listen to him (as well as offer him lunch). This experience was not just about giving out lunches, but also about understanding another person on a personal and equal level.

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