Commemorating The New Year

This article was published today on our system website: http://www.modukpai.com/

In our training as students in Mo Duk Pai Kung Fu at The Academy of Kung Fu, there is a long tradition of engaging in an activity that requires one to face the New Year with compassion and confront. This year Wally and I chose to do so by volunteering at City Team Ministries during the New Year’s Day dinner service: http://www.cityteam.org/portland/

The shelter’s mission is to provide “hot meals, safe shelter, showers, and clean clothing to this city’s homeless population,” and the procedure for serving meals, and then preparing the space with beds for the night ran like clockwork. With so many helping hands, Wally and I were at a loss for something to do. Lots of metaphors there — I won’t go into details, but I will say for as friendly and cheerful as folks were, it was a very heavy experience. Even though we had had time to prepare, we found ourselves comparing nightmares the following day.

Every day I drive to work, I pass this same shelter and round the corner with caution, because even at 7AM the sidewalk is generally spilling over with people waiting to be allowed inside the building. And several blocks up, as I park along side the school, I always take the time to slowly scan the area as I get in and out of my car. And if I use my senses to the best of my ability, most every day I spot (or cross paths with) a homeless person or two.

The Buckman neighborhood is home to the highest concentration of social services in the city of Portland, and as a public school employee it is my obligation to keep students safe, and watch for individuals who trespass during school hours. My experience has been that it can be difficult to reason with the homeless, and I am
often left feeling guilty for driving people out as they walk away swearing, irrationally angry. School staff are always careful to walk each other out to their cars after dark; break-ins, confrontations, and altercations happen on a fairly regular basis, and the attitude in general about all this is quite matter-of-fact.

I feel that this one brief encounter at the very least leaves me feeling a little more tuned in to what survival looks like for the homeless population in my work neighborhood. Most importantly though, I gained a little more insight into the power of participating in an act of compassion on another’s home turf.

There can be true artistry in delivery:
In demonstrating care and thought for your fellow human being.

One more thing to continue to work on!