Homeless Man X
Today, unlike most other encounters with homeless people, I got sucked in a man's life story rather than instigating the dialogue. A man in open shoes stumbled on the overground. He sat in front of me and I immediately felt this strong wave of emotions. I heard him sobbing while grabbing his leg.
Overtaken by this overwhelming vulnerability of this grown man (who's name I did not get the opportunity to ask) and his despaired emotion, I turned off my music and tried to understand his mumbling. I ask him if he's okay and he answers "no, I'm in pain and nobody wants to help me". He explains the pain in his leg, apparently caused during a violent interaction with the police when they were trying to move him. I asked him about NGO's, hospitals, the NHS, and he repeated that nobody is willing to help. He shared his story with me and from the corner of my eye, I noticed a man who had changed his body language to be more engaged in our conversation.
The unknown homeless man told me how he suffers from mental illness, which got me to wonder, is that what is causing this emotional break down ? His body language and his inability to have a constructive conversation led me to believe he was under the influence of substances, likely to be stronger than alcohol. Then he abruptly stood up stumbled out.
I was a bit confused as I felt like this conversation did not benefit either of us. He did not get any help and I did not learn how to help. My mind was racing thinking of who he could go to but I also found it hard to believe that the NHS would turn him down, his leg and foot were noticeable swollen..
Then the man who had previously eavesdropped on our conversation turns to me and says "it's nice that you tale the time to talk to him, but don't be fooled, he could get help. services like the NHS would take him in but he is clearly too high or drunk".
This really confused me, to hear such direct opposition and cold response, regardless of wether he was right or not, this man was able to listen to a grown, vulnerable and unwell man cry and tell me , on an almost annoyed tone that he wasn't worth empathising with. Yet, a part of me thought the same as him, I couldn't or didn't want to believe that it would be possible that this homeless man was denied medical attention. And I had also noticed his intoxicated behaviour.
It got me wondering if medical assistance is available, not only for the physical pain, but for the mental illness that clearly hindered his wellbeing altogether. What does a mentally ill man, that may also be consuming substances, living on the street communicate with people ? As I had just seen a man desensitise a story in a minute.
The contrast between the opinion that the emotional homeless man had made in my mind compared to the one of the stranger was on opposite ends.
I left the overground and felt like I had just experienced a class A debate on the two sides of society's coin. The helpless dehumanised human being that lives among us versus the general middle class business man that influences the shaping of society.
by Céline Mercier
Overtaken by this overwhelming vulnerability of this grown man (who's name I did not get the opportunity to ask) and his despaired emotion, I turned off my music and tried to understand his mumbling. I ask him if he's okay and he answers "no, I'm in pain and nobody wants to help me". He explains the pain in his leg, apparently caused during a violent interaction with the police when they were trying to move him. I asked him about NGO's, hospitals, the NHS, and he repeated that nobody is willing to help. He shared his story with me and from the corner of my eye, I noticed a man who had changed his body language to be more engaged in our conversation.
The unknown homeless man told me how he suffers from mental illness, which got me to wonder, is that what is causing this emotional break down ? His body language and his inability to have a constructive conversation led me to believe he was under the influence of substances, likely to be stronger than alcohol. Then he abruptly stood up stumbled out.
I was a bit confused as I felt like this conversation did not benefit either of us. He did not get any help and I did not learn how to help. My mind was racing thinking of who he could go to but I also found it hard to believe that the NHS would turn him down, his leg and foot were noticeable swollen..
Then the man who had previously eavesdropped on our conversation turns to me and says "it's nice that you tale the time to talk to him, but don't be fooled, he could get help. services like the NHS would take him in but he is clearly too high or drunk".
This really confused me, to hear such direct opposition and cold response, regardless of wether he was right or not, this man was able to listen to a grown, vulnerable and unwell man cry and tell me , on an almost annoyed tone that he wasn't worth empathising with. Yet, a part of me thought the same as him, I couldn't or didn't want to believe that it would be possible that this homeless man was denied medical attention. And I had also noticed his intoxicated behaviour.
It got me wondering if medical assistance is available, not only for the physical pain, but for the mental illness that clearly hindered his wellbeing altogether. What does a mentally ill man, that may also be consuming substances, living on the street communicate with people ? As I had just seen a man desensitise a story in a minute.
The contrast between the opinion that the emotional homeless man had made in my mind compared to the one of the stranger was on opposite ends.
I left the overground and felt like I had just experienced a class A debate on the two sides of society's coin. The helpless dehumanised human being that lives among us versus the general middle class business man that influences the shaping of society.
by Céline Mercier
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