It was back then when I visited Australia last year with my parents...
The guy in the picture, his name is Alex. I approached him, hesitantly at first, and offered him a meal. He politely declined, but asked if I would get him a cold bottle of coke. After a quick trip to the woolies nearby, I approached him, being a little less introverted. He asked for my name, and I obliged, and sat down next to him to hear his story. He told me he has been on the streets for 32 years, and been living there and around the Parramatta area. I asked if he would share his story with me, and he gladly accepted the offer with a smile. Due to alcohol abuse, he lost his job and his family, he got in trouble with the law and went down on a downward spiral with substance abuse. He said, looking back, there could have been better decisions he could have made, sought help early on, and hoped there was someone to look out for him. According to him, he has been clean for more than 20 years now, but the stigma that the less fortunate will use the money that people give them still remains. I thanked him for this time and asked for consent to share his story. I told him I would come visit him again tomorrow and I would bring an umbrella and spare clothes, it was really cloudy today with a chance of rain. But I must say, Alex is a real photogenic guy, after he asked for a “spare durry mate”. As I was leaving, I saw a group of girls approach him and started talking. Maybe they wanted to know if I was annoying the guy, or maybe they wanted to help as well. Taking the positive into high hopes, it goes to show that a little act of kindness will create a momentum and allow others to pursue it.
Disclosure: I’m sort of on introvert, so the first time was a bit more difficult than I would have liked. But it was worth it. All images and information was disclosed with Alex’s consent. I’m also not going to be sharing every story and interaction, this should not become a publicity stunt. I’ll still be sharing every now and then I hopes others pick up the pace. I’ll however keep a personal portfolio of my interactions as a keepsake. Thank you.
He can't afford to try to to plenty more things such as you and that I do.
I think mankind will live a protracted time because somehow we are wired to guard our loved ones with everything that we've got.
Let's live few more millennia, few more glacial period because somehow light wins against darkness
Nothing lasts forever. The good and less fortunate. It doesn’t matter what people think of you, when you have a vision and you believe in yourself, nothing else matters except for that dream of yours. Where you are in life is a reflection of the decisions you’ve made up to this point of your life. There’s still so much room for growth and so much time to get it right. Tighten up and apply what you’ve learned throughout the years.