Filthy Rich and Homeless
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Last Fri, I discovered a very meaningful program "Filthy Rich and Homeless 做個冇錢人" shown on TV Pearl at 8:30p.m.. It is a four-part series originally starting on BBC May 22, 2007. The introduction on the web said:
"Social experiment, based on a real course that takes place in the UK, in which five wealthy Britons swap their expensive cars, designer clothes and luxury homes for ten days of living alongside homeless people."
Though it sounded a crazy idea, 5 wealthy individuals included 4 men and 1 women aged between 19 to 39 voluntarily applied to join this experiment with different intentions e.g. to understand how the homeless feel, to prove that homeless people can find a way out of poverty, etc.
After I finished watching the 1st and 2nd episodes, I just could not stop thinking about it.
Most people, including me, look down on homeless people, hate, fear or even contempt them because we think they are lazy, mad, dirty, etc. However, in the 1st episode of this program, the 5 volunteers started to realize how tough situation was when they had to get through the first 3 freezing nights in London with only one sleeping bag and £20 in their pockets, toughest of all, could not call any friends or family for support (because usually homeless people had no one to turn to when they needed help).
Near the end of the program, Thomas who resorted to beg money on a bridge shared how humiliating he felt in the night, the way people treated him, the way pedestrian looked at him with contempt and how they gave him money by throwing it onto the floor rather than putting it inside the cup. In front of the camera, this wealthy young gentleman admitted : "... worst of all, I used to be one of them...". At that moment, I was so ashamed of what I did in the past. My lesson learnt : homeless people, like any human being, deserve respect.
In the 2nd episode, the 5 wealthy "homeless" volunteers, who desperately wanted to go home, were completely frustrated when they were sent back out on the street in the freezing cold to spend another 3 nights. The only difference was each of them was assigned a homeless buddy, who has endured years of serious drink, and/or drug problems, and/or spent time in prison.
Amazingly, friendship was built within such a short period.
At the end of 3 days, Darren, the 39-year-old entrepreneur, could not stop crying and hugging his buddy, Smokie, who taught him to put old newspapers under his clothes to stay warm, and gave blankets to other younger homeless the night before a severe snow storm.
Clementine, the 21-year-old daughter of the newsreader, changed the mind of her buddy who started to realize some wealthy people were good hearted and not arrogant.
Thomas, a 21-year-old heir to a cooking oil empire, found out the homeless could indeed be good people after his buddy taught him Latin and invited him to stayed in his tent hidden in a park of London.
Ravi, the 24-year-old multimillionaire participant who strongly believed homelessness was the result of failure/laziness, finally understood that homeless people were deprived of job opportunities merely because they did not have any residential address. (Remark : After filming ended, Ravi has set up OneOffice.com, which offers an address and telephone number for London's homeless so they can apply for jobs and receive identity documents and communications.) My lesson learnt : Before offering help to others, understand them first.
I reflected : these 5 volunteers sacrificed a lot in those 10 days. Yet, in comparison, it puts into perspective how incredible and tremendous the sacrifice of Mother Teresa and other great people made. Then, when I think of Jesus Christ, His sacrifice was beyond any imaginable boundary. I found myself so tiny as well as guilty.
