Reflection on Burt

When I found out that Burt was going to come and talk to us, I wasn't sure what to expect necessarily...but I was definitely excited. I think there is a lot of mystery to what the lives of the homeless community is like and it was interesting to get an opinion and story from someone who is living it. Listening to Burt's story made me realize that it's easier to become homeless than I thought. Tragedy could strike at any moment and put you and even your family in a difficult position, maybe leave you homeless. The health care system and the lack of affordable housing is definitely an issue that has directly impacted Burt and is just one of the many areas of our government that lacks attention.
Burt's story is similar to many other stories in the homeless community and is an issue that could be avoided, especially because it could impact several Americans who lack health insurance (including me). There is a stigma attached to the people of the homeless community and most people just see them in the street and are even somewhat immune to looking at the homeless in even the worst situations. Burt mentioned this sense of distrust and even fear between the homeless and not homeless, which many people, including myself are guilty of. We are sometimes so caught up in our own lives that we overlook the daily struggles people in our own community have to go through.

Hearing from Burt

I was pleasantly surprised by the class in which Burt came to speak to us. Not that I didn't think it would go well but I really did not know what to expect. I feel that it was important for all of us to get the opportunity to hear from him because it kind of humanizes homelessness. So many of us see a homeless person on the street as we pass by in our cars and think nothing about it. We all get so wrapped up in our small worlds of class, homework, and free time spent in this little college town that we often forget that there are others living here that are not students and may not be doing so well. They too have a story, have overcome obstacles, perhaps have made the same mistakes many of us have made, and have many more obstacles than we typically see. Burt really made two big impacts on me and how I view not only homeless individuals, but just everyone in general. First, his description of how other homeless people live, how others treat them, and their day to day struggles is something that seems obvious after he told us about them, but I just haven't put much thought into. At times, I am quick to become frustrated with people and lose my patients when they are less than friendly. Sometimes I just need to remember that they're allowed to have a bad day too, and I don't know what they have been going through that day. I can either make their day worse and let it also negatively effect my own mood that day, or I can try to be that bright moment in their dark day and hopefully leave both of us feeling a little better. The second think that really made me think was seeing Burt's reaction to thinking back to his days returning from Vietnam. Something that happened so long ago can still have such a deep and painful effect on someone years later. That applies not only to those suffering from PTSD in times of conflict, but also kids in school that are bullied. My girlfriend and I were just talking yesterday about a classmate she had that got picked on because he was nearly blind and carried a fanny pack. She got to know him and found that he carried things he really needed to help him see better while in class and he was embarrassed to have to search around for everything in his backpack so he carried a fanny pack. He then told her how he asked his parents for a cooler fanny pack because the kids at school made fun of him for it. If I was a parent in that situation it would break my heart to hear that and just talking about it makes me feel bad for the guy. I feel that schools everywhere should get an opportunity to hear people like Burt speak so that they can get a better appreciation for being sensitive to those around them.