High School Articles: "All the Lonely People"

Originally published in Blind Brook High School's FOCUS (October 2006).

By Benjamin Engle
It was a beautiful summer night in the Georgetown area of our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. I strolled leisurely down Pennsylvania Avenue, a street lined with exclusive stores and stylish eateries. From Coach to Abercrombie & Fitch to Steve Madden, I felt as if I was in one of the classiest places in Washington—that is, until I passed a man who, in his silent sleep, stopped me in my tracks.

This man was asleep in the doorway of a Georgetown building, clutching a blanket in one hand. The other held nothing, and a shopping cart filled to capacity stood to his
left. It seemed as if his whole life was crammed into that shopping cart, his home on wheels. The man’s untidy, mangy beard and the fact that he was lying in the middle of the sidewalk indicated that he was homeless. But this was no ordinary homeless man, a man unlike any I have ever seen in New York City. The steps on which he slept did not lead to a posh store or a snobby café, but rather to the entrance of the Salvation Army National Capital Offices.

The fact that this homeless man was sleeping on the steps of one of America’s longtime symbols of aid and hope struck me as a sad commentary on the state of our nation, for this poor man clearly did not expect assistance or hope. It opened my eyes to the true problems of poverty and homelessness in the United States and how we, as Americans, are not doing enough to give less fortunate people
the opportunities and assistance to live better lives.

During my visit to D.C., I made my way to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. While walking through this outdoor monument dedicated to one of the best presidents in U.S. history, I noticed that various quotes issued by Roosevelt during his four terms in office were engraved in the stone. One quote seemed to speak of both the homeless man and how our country looks today.

“I see one-third of a nation illhoused, ill-clad, and ill-nourished. The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little,” Roosevelt said in his second inaugural address. This quote
raised the question in my mind, “Can’t we do more?”

We live in an affluent community in nice, spacious homes; we eat three meals a day (yes, Blind Brook cafeteria food counts); and we receive our education in one of the country’s finesthigh schools. We buy new clothes, we go out on weekends, and we spend hours on our computers. It seems as if the rich only get richer and the poor only get poorer. Roosevelt recognized the pathetic look of the nation during his time in office, and it is time for us in the Blind Brook, Rye Brook, and American communities to make a difference in helping to stop one of America’s biggest problems: poverty.

If numbers will help paint the picture of American poverty, consider these: in 2005, 37
million people lived in poverty. Of those 37 million people, 12.9 million were under the age of 18 and 20.5 million were between the ages of 18 and 64. (U.S. Census 2005.) It’s clear that poverty affects not only adults, but entire families as well. As I watched in awe at the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, a ceremony honoring and remembering unidentified soldiers who gave their lives for our county, my mind wandered back to the hopeless man at the Salvation Army who, when he is entombed in an unmarked grave in Potter’s Field, will forever remain as he lived—unknown and forgotten.

In a song entitled “Eleanor Rigby,” The Beatles asked, “All the lonely people. Where do they all come from? All the lonely people. Where do they all belong?” And there’s only one way to find an answer: get involved.

We must not let these lonely and forlorn people vanish before our eyes and remain unknown. Our country has a problem when it comes to ignoring the needy, and it’s definitely time for a change. Roosevelt believed that the development of the United States should be assessed by the situations in which its citizens live, not by materialistic and political advancements.

We as members of the American and Blind Brook communities must not let impoverished people remain unknown, uncared for, and forgotten. These people live hopeless and difficult lives; live one meal at a time, often not knowing where the next meal will come from; they have no support and nobody to put them on the right track. It is our responsibility to improve our country and its people in a time where the world can, at times, feel like an uncaring place.

Fortunately, we as a community can help. Blind Brook has numerous clubs whose missions are to help others, improve other people’s lives, and make the community better as whole. By serving hot meals at the Blind Brook Soup Kitchen or even carrying some rocks at a Habitat for
Humanity build site, we will bring hope and promise to people less fortunate than us.

We should feel lucky that our addresses are not on the stoop of the Salvation Army. I know we can help end loneliness and hopelessness one person at a time.

http://www.blindbrook.org/our_schools/high_school/Focus/archives/06-07/FOCUS_Oct_06.pdf