By James W. Breckenridge.
The Good.
The attention of the media to the City of Abbotsford’s use of chicken sh*t as a biological weapon against the homeless in Abbotsford got the chicken sh*t mostly cleaned up and it accomplished the more important task of preventing the use of chicken sh*t from becoming the city’s policy for dealing with the homeless and homeless camps.
The Ugly.
Media coverage of this issue resulted in several of the homeless appearing on television as part of the media coverage.
One such person was approached after his appearance on television by someone who stated there was an elderly gentleman who had won multi-millions of dollars on a lotto ticket several years ago. This wealthy gentleman had a policy of using his lotto wealth to awarded $500,000 to people down on their luck and needing help such as this homeless individual.
Just think what he could do with $500,000. Previous recipients have flourished after receiving their $500,000, what would he do with his $500,000?
The people who had approached him had visions of sugar plums dancing in his head along with dreams of what he was going to do with the $500,000 and the changes this would make in his life. He could own his own home.
And all that was needed for him to receive this $500,000 was a $1,000 to them so they could make sure the gentleman who awards $500,000 was aware of this homeless person so he would be awarded $500,000.
Fortunately greed meant there was a need to come up with $1,000 which led to this situation being shared and recognized as a scam. Given the speed with which this spread throughout the homeless community any others who were or scheduled to be targets will be warned.
Too many see the most vulnerable, such as the homeless, of our fellow citizens as a problem to be ignored; or as disposable trash, or as prey.
People constantly moan about the state of society carrying on as if their actions have nothing to do with the society we have.
Society is built by the behaviour and choices of each and every citizen. All the fancy, self-satisfied words and labels people employ about themselves are meaningless given the vast difference between their words and their actions.
“The True Measure of Any Society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members” – Ghandi
We have the society we have chosen to build, the society we deserve.
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James W. Breckenridge
www.jameswbreckenridge.ca
Last night as I lay in bed looking up at the stars in the sky I thought to myself:
“Where the Heck is the Ceiling?!”