The Story of the People

I think the story that needs to be told about the people in our service is how many of the people in the Washington neighborhood, especially those that I see each and every time I work the Open Closet, are struggling to meet everyday needs. There are many fortunate people in the Dubuque area and these people receiving the free clothing appreciate so much that a basic need is given to them and it is one less thing to worry about. Unfortunately, there are more needs that these people have, and only they know if they are being met. They need a roof over their head and food in their stomachs and we do not know if those needs are being met. I believe that the community and St. John’s are doing a great job of caring for the less fortunate in the community by clothing them with the clothing at the open closet and by serving meals. I believe that more could be done.

This past Friday night I went to see “The Blind Side.” This is a movie that tells the amazing story of Michael Oher. Michael's mom abused drugs and he was taken from her at the age of seven. He rarely saw her after that. He was in and out of foster homes and occasionally slept on his friends couch. His friend’s dad got his friend and him into a Christian school. He attended this school and shortly after they started, he heard his friend’s mom talking about his burden on the family and Michael took to the streets. Everyone at the school knew him as big Mike and while walking in the cold and rain with only a t-shirt and shorts on, he was picked up by a very well off family whose kids attended the same Christian school as Mike. The let him sleep on the couch as long as he wanted to, bought him clothing, and eventually gave him a room and a life where he did not have to scrounge for his basic needs. He started playing football at that high school, went on to play at Ole Miss, and now is a Rookie in the NFL. It is amazing what people can do with resources. This family has been a great blessing on Michael and watching his story moved me to tears. I am so fortunate to have my basic needs met and I will be the first one to admit that I take them for granted each and every day. I wish I could be to someone as this family was to Michael Oher.

From watching this story, I empathized so much. If I had the resources and money that this family did, I would do exactly what they did. I think by telling the story of Michael Oehr’s life, more people are aware of the needs surrounding them. It is in our back yard and we do not even realize it. I think if we told the story of the people in the Dubuque community to those more fortunate in the community, we could get more people to help them out with their basic needs.

Nussbaum would agree with this. She believes that if we tell the story of people who are silent, that their voices will be heard. We can do this in the Dubuque community. She believes that literature builds compassion. The readers would have compassion for the people that are struggling to meet their basic needs. She also believes that this would enhance the understanding of human beings. It would also make us aware of our own vulnerability. This sounds kind of negative when I read that word, but I do not mean it in a negative context. She also believes that we live in a society that we urgently need to understand and I do not feel as if everyone understands the struggles of these people when their daily needs are met. We also could gain understand of why people are different than us. Awareness of cultural differences is essential in order to promote respect for another, and this is an essential foundation for dialogue.