Taking from the Needy

When I was assigned this project I knew right away what I wanted my piece to be on. I wanted to interview the homeless. I wanted to give the people who don’t have a spotlight on them a chance to be on some sort of platform, which in this case is a small one. It amazed me how willing these people were to share their life story and very close personal struggles.

I asked Mark, Nathan, Chris, Ron and Don what kind of advice would you give to a high school kid graduating in a couple of years. The way I see it is that these five men have been through life and have experienced more than me, and can give me critical things to avoid and direct myself towards. This is why I titled the piece “Taking from the needy”, as I listen and learn from the life lessons being provided. Just because I am more fortunate from someone doesn’t mean they have nothing to offer.

 The responses were emotional and equally inspiring. Main themes we see are drugs and alcohol as the anchor weighing down aspirations of these people.  We see this through all five interviewees. You can see Chris referring to drugs as a “hole” that takes real will power to get out of. At the end of each interview we prayed with each person. This is not documented in the video because I felt that it was a very personal experience for each of us including me.

Thank you for watching. I hope you can learn to understand that people lower than you on societies scale can have a lot to offer you.
~Jay Joseph