Who knew that consistent, daily routines to maintain what is valuable would consume our lives. Loss prevention, if you will. Everything on the spectrum needs regular, routine-maintenance and most of it can only be managed through a monetary system.

You also need motivation.

To have motivation - you must value something - to value something - you must maintain it - to maintain it - you need motivation and so fourth.

What would happen if you made a choice to remove motivation, maintenance and the monetary system?

What happens if you lose value in everything?

It’s obvious.

We simply deteriorate.

Just ask any homeless person, if you dare to get that close.

Due to a mental illness, they’ve decided there’s too much to maintain, too much to lose. So, they remove it all and learn to live without value. They let everything go, including themselves.

Their thoughts are so overwhelmed with symptoms from the illness, all the energy and motivation is used up. This is misunderstood with laziness or apathy.

You see, he or she thinks their illness is incurable and will always be there. They’ve been through the system and have been through the cycles. On top of not being able to cognitively solve problems, decision making is distorted.

Side Bar: (Allow me to use “him” for the remainder of this article. I would use “her” but I feel it shouldn’t-really-matter anyway.)

To get better, means value - to value, means maintenance, motivation and self-worth. Real self-worth is something that can only be developed through success, failure, encouragement, and with consistent love. This has been interrupted for these people and even as adults, they need all of these things. You can roll your eyes if you want to. I personally feel we have let these people down - not as a government, but as a society.

How many times have you walked passed a homeless person and ignored his begging?

“He’ll probably just buy drugs or booze” or “If you encourage it, he’ll keep begging”

Have you considered that little bit of human interaction with you is also a component of his begging?

The purpose for him asking for spare change is to find some sort of peace and to see if someone actually cares on some disconnected level. If it’s for drugs, alcohol, food or whatever; it’s not your place to decided what he does with the money.

You don’t have a clue why he’s on the ground, at YOUR knees; begging for a few measly cents.

He needs it, that’s the bottom line and he’s all alone in a place that you will probably never be; maybe.

He made a choice to be where he is, as did you. The difference is, what is most comfortable. He can not function in your world. Your world is of value and maintenance. You’re getting along just fine.

View it this way: Would you get by in his world? Can you even fathom it? You probably can’t. He views your world with the same fear you feel towards his world.

If you look deep into a homeless persons eyes, no-one will because we’re selfish, egocentric and care only about money. If you look into his eyes, you will see sadness, disconnection and a profound sense of reality that you’re terrified of.

That’s why you dismiss him. He represents “what could be” and the zenith of the worst-case-scenario.

Ignore it and it doesn’t exist.

Right now, he is there, breathing, feeling, and his broken heart is beating. This is a child buried under pain with a constant knot in his stomach that over-rules everything.

Take a look in the mirror and you will see disconnection, sadness and allow yourself a profound sense of reality that your world is based on stuff. That you are dependant on convenience, government, people and the almighty dollar.

How dare you stroll right on by him, chatting on your pretentious cell phone without sharing a little of what you find so easy to maintain.

Wake up!

There is going to be some unexpected changes one day.

Life has been so good to us and we could lose it all at anytime.

Try empathy, sympathy and compassion; if you’re able to.

The Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders does not have “ignorance” under any of it’s sub-categories.

It should.