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Second Place Mountains Beyond Mountains Essay Winner

Essay by Ellen Pavlacka

      Ethic. Motivation. Insurmountable courage. That’s just a taste of the character instilled in the core of Paul Farmer, an anthropologist who has made leaps and bounds in the fight for injustice and health care of third world country citizens. This man’s accomplishments mold him into some kind of super human, making any attempt to size up seem surreal and unattainable for the average Joe. The good news: Farmer is very normal. He’s got the same chemical makeup as the stockbroker down the street and the guy that comes to pick up the garbage every Thursday. We all have the potential to make a difference in the world, and as cliché as that may sound, there are many lives in need of someone to touch them. With that said, I believe the looming knowledge of the sizeable homeless population, in the world and in our community, is one quandary that could use a hero like Paul Farmer to save the day.

       One person alone cannot eradicate the world’s entire homeless populace, but that one person can certainly try. According to popular thought, not all people living on the streets are there because they’re too lazy to do anything about their current life situation. While that may be true for some, there are so many more that have experienced traumatic and fast paced change in their lives leading them to the dirt-laden alleyway they are now sleeping in. Lost jobs, addictions that have spiraled out of control, mental illnesses, and domestic violence are just a few reasons they might not have a place to call home. They are also all problems that could be avoided if the rest of us answered the call for change, justice, and radical living. Help could be given. Modifications in the system could be made. Who are we to say that we cannot erase the bulk of this problem? With only passion in his heart and a fire in his eye, William Booth founded the Salvation Army in 1865. Dead now, his efforts still live on, continuing to change the lives of millions and millions of people. Millard Fuller, the founder of Habitat for Humanity wanted to build homes for the people that didn’t have them. I doubt he imagined the growth his project would take on and the impact that it would make. The call to change can be answered by anyone who hears it. All it takes is some perseverance and an unquenchable thirst for justice.

      A person does not have to be great to make an impact on anything, least of all homelessness. Raising awareness is a good start for anyone that wants to influence the issue positively. Let the state and federal government know just how dire the situation really is. An even simpler way to bring about change is to reduce the effect of materialism in your life. Instead of throwing away or selling used possessions, give them away to a local organization designed specifically for providing second hand materials for the homeless. The bravest souls might even choose to live among the homeless and interact with them on a level plane. As Paul Farmer said, he was not very sympathetic to those who “think all the world’s problems can be fixed without any cost to themselves.” One person set on wiping out the “-less” from “homeless” might be a single drop in the ocean, but ripples stem from that drop, and lives are vulnerable to transformation.

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