Abandoned, lost, but hopeful he stands. I saw him today. I made eye contact with him— even if it was for split second— it was something. Shabby clothes, accommodated with a cane, he stood there in the park. He didn’t plead for money or anything valuable. He was a homeless man; he wanted shelter.

The man I saw today is one of many unfortunate souls in today’s world. I don’t know every homeless man’s story, whether they were a Vietnam Veteran who lost their way after the war, or whether they were a druggie who plummeted to ruins during their teen years, but doesn’t everyone deserve a home? I certainly think so. Maybe it’s just my optimistic approach on life, but everybody’s path is rocky (maybe some more than others) but as a human beings, shelter is one of the most basic, yet fundamental essentials of life. It is pivotal not only for survival and health reasons, but also to feel emotionally secure.  

As a person who is sheltered, I know the feeling it provides, it’s this warmth that envelops your heart and awakens your spirit. You feel free, but safe, and wanted and loved and guarded.  

Everyone yearns for it, but not everyone will attain it. And the conditions of our economy are digging us into a deeper hole, with salary-cuts, low-employment rates, and low business, our country is in severe debt.  

These individuals need assistance, it’s evident. Stark and desolate, these victims lie on the streets, while America invests money on war, what an intellectual preference our country opts.

“Why must I be single?” says the desperate teenager who hopelessly pleads for a relationship. Though relationships can be an exhilarating thing, they often lead to heart-break. Teenagers—young and often inexperienced— have a misconception that a relationship is the solution to their problems. They invest valuable time in someone they consider “special”, spending more time getting to know that person on a deeper level, and more of that time only to find out they were 1.) dumped, 2.) cheated on, or 3.) incompatible. These naïve teens later end the night doing one of many things: weeping over the phone, crying themselves sleep, or indulging in the largest box of chocolates as if they were savages from Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. As if that’s not enough, their mind is scarred with visions of love and its potential happiness. Today, love is often placed on pedestal for teenagers; they rather put relationships as their first priority. Subsequently, would it not be fair to say that finding love is made to be a necessity in life by the adolescent demographic?