Thursday September 27 - Only Sleeping?

Thursday September 27 - Only Sleeping?


8:00 A.M.

The ARCH has a capacity to sleep approximately 150 individuals, legally. The majority of those who take advantage of sleeping accommodations are "case management" clients. This meaning they are enrolled in a program where their situations are overseen and guided by a "case manager" or counselor to help them get jobs and eventual housing. About 30-60 , who are not case management clients may participate in a lottery each night to see if they may have sleeping accommodations for that night. Otherwise they must seek other accommodations or take their chances on the streets.

I personally made a comment about the number who spend their mornings and afternoons "nodded out" and I could not attach the stigma of "lazy character" on them. This needs to be qualified and should not be taken as a generalization, because there are a great many who simply do not fit, but rather seem to have given up on life and sleeping away their days has become an escape, a drug or alcohol substitute. And I see these mostly in the mornings and they are not the ones who take their chances on the streets, but rather those who have relinquished responsibility for their lives and trust their fate and future to the "system" to make it all come together. And all they have to do is comply when told to, work when and where someone tells them, whatever that might be, and with a minimal amount of effort, they can sleep their lives away. Sleeping or play games on cell phones … just different dream worlds. And how are the majority of us any different?

2:30P.M

Ignorance abounds here, and color makes little difference, just different shades of the same. Now this certainly does not apply to all, there are those who do exhibit significant insight and mental acumen, but they are for most part rarities.

I cannot judge individual cases, not knowing the history and circumstances that have led to their current situation. But I can critique the judgments and current attitudes demonstrated, and this provides enough to presume some past behaviors. And a general (not universal) commonality seems to be a stubborn preference to retain ones own views, ideas and limited perceptions. A wall of resistance to any and all external conceptions exists and rather than tearing down the wall an offensive posturing is assumed to attack "whatever", regardless of the logic and reason to the contrary may be presented. It's a matter of "preferred ignorance".

It has been claimed that "knowledge is power", and to be sure education is a significant move in the right direction. But there are many kinds of knowledge and much that can never be conveyed in the classroom. Yet an attitude to continually learn, and apply what has been learned is essential to survive in this current world's situation. Otherwise I guess we can just satisfy ourselves nodding out at the ARCH.