Why Are We Not Angry?!

Guilt is, more often than not, signified nonverbally; with the loss of eye contact, the drop of one’s head, or the change of tone in one’s vocals, we can signify guilt.

Why do I carry such a dense load of guilt at the sight of a homeless being? I always feel the need to jump out of the car and have a nice chat with them, ask for their name and learn their story. It is rather simple for a dreamer to end up on the streets, but it is even easier for a veteran or victim of an accident of some sort to end up homeless as well.

I am tired of all of our assumptions. We as people are nowhere near educated enough to be spitting out all of the crap that we do. There are individuals of all colors and ethnicities that have gone onto the battlefield, risking their lives and risking the chance to see their loved ones again. These people sometimes return “home” to nothing but a bottle of bourbon and the corner of Harding street.

With Donald trump as president, we are focused on too many other things to pay attention to the problems we already have; this saddens me beyond any degree I thought possible.

We are fighting to prevent immigrants from being banned, pushing to stop walls from being built, pipes from being established, and God knows what else.
While all this is in the pursuit of action, we tend to look past the dying bodies in our streets and we drown out the cries of our own people.

I am not asking you to walk up to any homeless person, buy them a buffet and become their best friend, but I am asking that you find one way to help. Maybe a buffet and a new friend is your ideal way of helping someone, or maybe it is too far fetched.

For a moment, think about how hard it is for a woman in a first world environment. We need sanitary products for that time of the month, cramps can be almost unbearable at times, and cravings can cause massive mood swings and temper tantrums. Showers are needed desperately for those going through puberty, minimal dental care is needed to keep your teeth intact, and thick sweaters are needed to survive the harsh winter.
To be bluntly honest, I complain a lot. I complain about how cold the winters are, how the summer sun is burning my skin, how the wind is messing up my hair, how that meal didn’t fulfill my hunger, etc. I live a pretty comfortable life, and lately, I have been feeling that I have abused, and lost, my right to complain.

Maybe you’re stopping at McDonald’s on your way home from work, think about buying a burger or two for that guy quietly sitting on the corner. He needs that burger more than you ever will, and while you’d feel a stomach full of regret afterward, he would reside with a stomach load of gratitude and satisfaction.

Stockton is an amazing city. I did not say the shooters, gang bangers, and thieves were extravagant, but Stockton, California, as a city, is a beautiful place. There are truly some amazing people, some mind-blowing stories, and a lot of very talented souls. Stockton is not covered in the paint-like blood of lost souls and meaningless adolescents; it is decorated with the thoughts of the unnoticed, the silenced, and the oppressed.
We are compassionate, powerful, important, priceless, intelligent, gifted, and strong because we are still people.

There are kids like me who notice these very obvious problems, and their simple thinking gives them simple solutions that require simple actions. We look down at these kids and remind them how complicated it all is; we tell them their simple thinking needs the assistance of a college degree and loads of investment to actually make a difference. We are wrong.

Martin Luther King Jr. went down in our history books because he had a dream! Tell me why any of our dreams won’t work if his dream did?

This is the 21st century. We still have slavery, unwanted arranged marriages, a racist president, marches for women’s’ rights, walls trying to be built, kids without access to basic necessities or education, animals still being abused for our entertainment, fathers still paying child support even with full custody of their kids, and the natives are still fighting to protect a land they have lived on and loved for so long.

Child support payments and slavery may seem like they belong on two different spectrums, but every act listed is an act of injustice. What does our constitution mean, our Bill of Rights or our laws indicate if they are not being practiced?

It is not just about how many books you’ve read, how high your GPA is, how many languages you speak, or how great your income is; it’s about how willing you are to get up and go make a difference somewhere in the world, even just on your own block. Don’t just be willing, go out and do it.

I have published a few posts about how I envision the future, and I have been responded to by older generations who were glad that they could put a little faith back into the younger generations. This was actually surprising to hear because I had personally lost all hope in my own generation.

A couple dollars, a hug, a care package, a chat, or sometimes even just a smile can impact a life more than you know. Homelessness was just one issue that has been extremely bothering me as of late, but as we are aware of, there are millions of problems all over the world. Now is our time to put our foot down, to raise our fists in peaceful protest, and to project our voices. It is time to say enough is enough.

If you have an organization, a group, and chat room, or even just an idea awaiting an opportunity, please share it in the comments. Now has never been a better time to take action and fight. We have been silenced all of our lives, shoved aside, stepped on, looked down on, abused, and mistreated for MUCH TOO LONG.

Parents, think about the futures of your children. Kids, think about your futures and the lives of your possible offspring. Now is the time we start thinking more about one another and drop that “every man for himself” mentality.

We are supposed to be one nation under God, one love, one world, one heart. We are supposed to be one another’s backbones through war and tyranny. Where is the random act of kindness that homeless woman is waiting on, the gift that orphan is wishing for this Christmas, and that Valentine’s card that boy has never received?

2017 has already claimed the title of garbage! I have already lost the privilege to complain, and we all have already been given a reason to be angry; we have many reasons to be angry.

Kids will scold their parents for not fulfilling their every desire. Parents will neglect their least intelligent kid. Teachers will praise their richest student and express their anger towards the poorest. We choose to be angry for the dumbest things, but when one man is trying to build a wall and ban immigrants, we are not angry. When dogs are being abused for our entertainment, we are not angry. When veterans who fought for our freedom are starving in our city, we are not angry. GET ANGRY!