Working for the Common Good

Every night, millions of men, women, and children around the world go to sleep without eating. Our group along with many other homeless shelters and soup kitchens see to it that this number is significantly decreased. It's not easy work; the food has to be purchased, transported, and prepared all before 5 o'clock. This doesn't leave too much time when you are leaving the school grounds around 3 o'clock. It's a big commitment, yet we come through with it every week. Why do we do this? The answer is simple: to help the common good. We don't get any physical compensation or any material reward, but knowing that anywhere between 80 and 120 people have had a satisfying meal when they otherwise would not have keeps us going each week.

I'm not trying to be nasty, but working with homeless people isn't easy. The hardest thing to get over is the smell. You can imagine the shock of walking past someone who probably can't remember when his or her last shower was; it hits you like a brick wall. At first I couldn't stand it. Often times I felt as if I was about to throw up every meal I had eaten. It took me a while, but I was able to get used to it. It wasn't their decision to not bathe; they were never given the choice. I realized I had to look past the grime and dirt and see the human being that deserves my respect. Now, that doesn't mean I embraced everyone and took a deep breath whenever I walked past them; I just ignored the smell and what they looked like, basically all of the physical elements of their nature that made me want to avoid them. This one new outlook that I discovered was easily applicable in every aspect of my life. Every school community has the weird kids, the gross kids, as well as the popular kids who turn their noses up at everyone. The important thing is, like I mentioned earlier, to look past these characteristics and realize that therein lies a human being that needs and wants your respect. After all, how can we progress as a loving community if we cannot first progress past our own differences?