Social Injustice ~A Night at Uplift

I can change the world.
I can.
Me.

And so can each and every one of you reading this. “If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. … We need not wait to see what others do.” As I drove home tonight, the words of Mahatma Gandhi rang over and over again in my head. BE the change you want to see in the world. Don't wait for others to do it. If you see something that deserves to be changed, and you're sitting around with your friends talking about how appalling it is that nothing has been done, do something about it yourself.

I fall short of the woman who God wants me to be. I am imperfect. But, I know that I try. I am passionate about life. I am child-like at heart, and I like it that way. As I drove home from Uplift, an organization that serves the homeless population of Kansas City, I called my mom and told her about my experience and how I felt what can only be described as a high. I felt so alive tonight. More alive than I have felt in a long time.

It all started back in 2006, while I was attending Benedictine College taking a Catholic Social Teaching class co-taught by Dr. Rick Coronado. He got up in front of the class and taught straight from Pope Leo XIII's 1891 encyclical letter Rerum Novarum, which I of course didn't understand a word of.

In the encyclical, it preaches economic Distributism and condemns Socialism.

The basic teachings include:  the importance of human dignity, that each and every person is made in the image and likeness of God and deserves to be treated with respect; complementarianism, which talks about the equal dignity of a man and a woman but emphasizes the complementary needs and mutual support between the two; solidarity, which is a strong commitment of a person to the common good of all realizing that each person is dependent on all humanity; charity, which gives us real substance to our relationship with God and with others; subsidiarity, Pope Pius XI said, "It is a fundamental principle of social philosophy, fixed and unchangeable, that one should not withdraw from individuals and commit to the community what they can accomplish by their own enterprise and/or industry."; and finally distributism, where economic distribution should be promoted by wide ownership of corporations (for example, credit unions).

Confused? I was too. Until I took the opportunity for some extra credit that changed my life. Dr. Coronado told us about Uplift, which was an organization that served the homeless of Kansas City. All we had to do was drive down with him, and volunteer our time for one night and then write a paper. Too easy. So, I attempted to aide my declining grade by taking him up on his offer. What I found within this humble organization was a personification of each of the principles of Pope Leo's letter. The compassion I witnessed that night was beyond amazing. I realized then, what I was reminded of tonight. That each and every one of us can do something to change the world. I can get in my car and drive to the inner city, get on a truck loaded down with donations from generous schools, churches and businesses, and go and meet people where they are. In serving others, I find a peace within myself. But, not just a peace. It is so much more than that. It is a feeling that starts as a warm fuzzy in my heart and permeates every inch of my body. I am filled with a joy and am inspired to do more. I want to talk to these people that society has cast aside and deemed unworthy to walk amongst the rest of us. I want to look them in the eyes and tell them that they are no different from me. That they are worthy of dignity and respect. And they are! Who's to say that because someone has fallen on economic difficulty, or has a mental incapacity that they are less worthy of love and acceptance of other people? And yet they live under bridges by the river, tucked away under the highway overpasses, and in the woods behind a Price Chopper. Hidden from our view, because we don't want to see them.

They walk out to the trucks and humbly ask for what they need: toilet paper, candles, tshirts, underwear, soap, drinking water. They call us 'sir' and 'ma'am' and it isn't uncommon to hear them utter 'God bless you' or 'have a blessed day, ma'am' from them as they walk away with their shopping bag of necessities. They, the poorest of the poor, even realize the importance of human dignity and solidarity. Do you?