Seeing the individual within, realising we are all unique and cannot simply be stereotyped and pigeon holed is very annoying, it means you cannot dismiss others out right before you have bothered to take time to see them.
Knowing that that drugged up piss head is not really a drugged up piss head but someone who has battled through depression all his life, been abused as a kid and as an adult and has found coping with life just a little to much of a hard thing to do…..
thats hard work for us to do……
It’s much easier for us to say ‘He’s just a drugged up piss head’…
The charity SHP works to give support to the people in our society that are in vulnerable situations be that homelessness, mental health issues, drink and drug problems or all of the above…..and with the demon government cutting services to all those that really need help with all that austerity bollocks, the work SHP does becomes more and more important in giving life lines to all in need
SHP have compiled a few of the stories of the people they support, all of them need to be heard, but I know thats damn hard for us to do……but hey..if we do listen we can maybe learn to grow out of our self imposed enclosures, see the world outside of our own boxes.
Awareness of others thats not a bad thing is it???
Heres the official blurb and an one of the stories
When people face social exclusion, their stories often go untold if no-one takes the time to hear them. SHP worked with volunteers from the Guardian to interview clients, asking the same kind of questions as the Observer uses in celebrity ‘This Much I Know’ interviews.
SHP kept this going and named the project ‘If You Ask Me’ - because fascinating and moving individual stories emerged in every single case, and we would never have heard them if we hadn’t asked.
CALEB
When I was a kid, I wanted to be an astronaut.
Sometimes you have a group of friends and it turns into a gang without you noticing.
The last time I cried was at my friend’s funeral. I always think that it’s my fault that he died. I chose to stay out of a situation which had kicked off again, because the first time it took a lot for me to calm it down. My friend, who wasn’t involved, wound up getting stabbed on his doorstep. He lived literally two minutes away from the hospital and the ambulance took 30 minutes to come, only to pronounce him dead. I think it’s appalling but that’s just me trying to use them as a scapegoat because I could’ve stopped it.
Carrying a knife used to make me feel safe. But it made me feel paranoid because I thought if I’ve got a knife who else has got a knife?
I’ve noticed that when people die at a young age, it’s mostly to do with stupidity – pride, holding face, money, drugs, but not even serious drugs or serious money, basically disrespect.
Being involved in conflict turns into your life when you hit 18 and up. You have to start fending for yourself, you realise you’re no longer doing it for a joke, but to stay alive.
What made me want to change was the fact that my life was meaningless. All that time I always knew at the back of my head I didn’t want to do this, but I needed a kick.
My family and friends came around when I was in hospital after I got shot and they were just distraught. When I thought about my life and the dreams I had, and how it had gone so far away from that, that’s what gave me the kick to change.
My dream now is to be an English teacher and teach in a secondary school. Even if all I can do is make a difference to one student then I’ll be happy.
My personal motto is everyday above the ground is a good day. Whatever happens, happens, but I just appreciate every day when I wake up.
My drug of choice is love. I think that’s a drug. If it’s not a drug then something is wrong with me.
I would describe myself as very much like an onion.
I’m proud of my little brother. I always tell him I made enough mistakes for the both of us so you don’t need to make any more mistakes and he’s taken that on board very well.
The fact that I say I want to do things for people and don’t do it makes me sad, because there are a lot of people that deserve something from me and I don’t give it to them. I think that is the curse of not getting round to it.
I definitely wouldn’t start my life again because it would take too long.
The thing you should always carry with you is your dignity.
I haven’t found out who I am yet but I’m close. Every time I think I found out who I am, I discover something else. What you have to do is have a gentle blend of all those different people that you are to make one person.
