Speaking of slowing down. I am leading a local Service: Spring Break "trip" to Fort Worth focusing on the issue of Homelessness. The idea is that these days off from classes are PRIME TIME to really dig deep into an issue in our city. We plan on doing a full imersion experience with some service and meetings with the city and LOTS of hang out time in the Homeless District. I've a got a faculty member on board and a GREAT student leader, so I think it will be pretty great and one of those life changing kinda things.
In compiling some readings for the participant curricullum- I re-ran across the following poem and I thought you might be interested to ponder on its words as well:
A BED FOR THE NIGHT
I hear that in New York
At the corner of 26th Street and Broadway
A man stands every evening during the winter months
And gets beds for the homeless there
By appealing to passers-by.
It won't change the world
It won't improve relations among men
It will not shorten the age of explotation
But a few men have a bed for the night
For a night the wind is kept from them
The snow meant for them falls on the roadway.
Don`t put down the book on reading this, man.
A few people have a bed for the night
For a night the wind is kept from them
The snow meant for them falls on the roadway
But it won't change the world
It won't improve relations among men
It will not shorten the age of exploitation.
- Bertold Brecht
INTERACT: Are giving and serving related to social change?
How can we become better givers?
Should we try to identify with the people we want to serve?
What does mercy have to do with justice? How should they be related?
What prevents us from being compassionate?
2 comments:
That was a moving poem. Thanks for sharing.
I like that poem. I for one strongly believe in small local contributions for a better community. Many of us can afford to do that, and if we all did then we would see the change which we say can never occur because the problems are too big.
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