I'm a Republican

A stereotype would be that a person would go into a situation like this and just expect nothing and at the end be completely moved by what he/she saw that night. I went in with almost the same feeling. I expected little but got a little more. I wouldn't say I fit the stereotype exactly, but there was definitely something there that I didn't expect, humanity.



We all see on the news when a minority kills another person in the slums of a big city. They're rarely homeless but of course one would expect that as a person's situation worsens, so do his actions. This is where I was surprised.



These men were grateful. Sure, there were the ones who didn't give a damn what was going on, they were just getting a meal. They would probably go out and continue the negativity they were creating before they came in, but that's another stereotype.



We didn't know a single thing about these people's lives. We only know them in this setting. We probably saw them at the high point of their day. Every man had his story and almost every man became friendly with us. I couldn't help myself from feeling bad when a man asked me what year I was in college. He was sitting at his table, eating his bowl of God knows what, and asked with the biggest smile on his face, "What year are you in school?" I said I was a sophomore and he smiled even bigger. I have no clue as to why this would make him smile but I only have one guess. He was overcome with hope. He saw someone willing to come and help (I use the term willing loosely as none of us really did this out of pure choice) and spend a little time to make their lives a little easier. He probably thought if this guy can do it, I know I can do something too. Probably not college but at least something. The man was wearing a blur of a coat that had many colors and many layers and a Chicago Bears hat. A few minutes later, I came by to pick up his neighbors tray (another black man who was older and wore seemingly the same blurry coat) when the first man asked another question, "Are all of you from Miami?" His smile was just as big as the last time.

Aside from a few men who were a little pissed off the entire time, everyone was as friendly as this. They appreciated our help, no matter how menial it was. Surely, some of these men were completely responsible for the reason they were in this place. They screwed up somewhere and they screwed up bad. I'm not saying they don't deserve our help, but I think these men couldn't care less our tax money is wasted to help them out when they can't help themselves. As for the rest, as for the majority of them, I feel fine with spending my tax money and my free time trying to improve their lives. That is truly something a fiscal conservative like myself did not expect and will remember forever. Not all men are evil. Everyone deserves a meal, medicine and a second chance. God bless them.