Essay by Luke Foster
“Having an open mind means learning to add more to our already existing beliefs about affirming dignity of those who are impoverished.”
— Terence Lester, I See You
While I was in New York in December 2022 I discovered there was a fantastic system where hundreds of cafes in the city had fridges outside of them so people could leave food for homeless people. There was a café in Brooklyn that I would stop by each day for coffee, and I would leave some food and drinks in the fridge each day.
I would love to see this system in Australia as its so helpful for the homeless and gives the donor a sense of well-being too.
“Provided that societies stay mindful of the challenges that capitalism creates and never forget the paramount importance of inclusion and equal opportunity, we can and should celebrate the miracle of free enterprise-and the billions of souls it has helped free from desperate poverty.”
Dalai Lama
I love the Dalai Lamas ideas about compassion and overcoming poverty and homelessness in the world.
“Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong! – I have as much soul as you, – and full as much heart! And if God had gifted me with some beauty and much wealth, I should have made it as hard for you to leave me, as it is now for me to leave you!”
― Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre