I have a pet peeve - I have a few, but I'll only talk about one right now. The NIMBY attitude, AKA Not In My Back Yard, really gets to me. Here are a few common scenario...
A community has a transient problem. I call it a problem because that is how society views it. People come in and out of this community, often staying on the streets, panhandling, bumming rides or gas. At a community meeting, a few people raise their voices - "We should have a safe place for anyone on the streets - transient or otherwise on tough times - to go for food, resources, etc." The community leaders begin to think about it and such a place is planned, drafted, and brought to the attention to the rest of the community. Then there are these voices - "That's great, but make sure it's on the outskirts of town. We don't want to give people the wrong impression." or "I don't mind you putting it way over there, but don't put it in my neighborhood."
During a community meeting, several members bring up the idea and plan for a teen center. This center could be a place for teens to hang out, communicate with others in the community, dream, think, build, contribute to things around them. It would be a safe place for teens to explore and create relationships. During this same meeting, you would hear retorts that are similar to this: "Teens have no respect for their surroundings, if you build something like this, don't put it next to my house, or anywhere where other children are present."
A community sees a need to help those with no home during extreme weather circumstances. Working together with community resource centers, churches, and other community agencies, an extreme weather shelter plan is dreamed. Once this dream becomes a reality, one of the churches, who is part of the cooperative movement, begins hearing concerns from the many people who use their building. "This is a great idea in general, but I think this is a bad idea for the church. The church could get robbed." or "I don't like the idea of homeless people staying in my place of worship."
You get the picture. Many people give the impression that they want to help others in need, but because of preconceived notions, they do not want to be directly connected in some way, usually geographically, to that help.
What is it said... I looked it up. It's Matthew 25:40 I believe. The version I have in front of me is the New Standard Revised Version, but it states: "Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me." I think of this, and what it says later in verse 45 "Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me."
The way I interpret this is that when we help those who are truly in need, no matter how low on the totem pole they may be, we are helping God. This does not mean that we will only help someone if we do it 10 miles away from our home. It does not mean helping out someone with outdated food because you had it left over in your cupboard. It does not mean encouraging a safe place for teens that is not directly located where teens live and hang out. It does not mean denying someone a warm place to stay when the temperature reaches freezing. And sometimes people with no home and no transportation cannot make it to a shelter 15-20 miles away, even though it is in the same county.
This makes me think of that wonderful Joan Osborne song - "What if God was One of Us?" - seriously, what if God was one of us - A stranger on a bus, the homeless man on the corner, the hungry child in line for food, the troubled teen needing a listening ear, the migrant worker in the field. Please find compassion to see the good in all people, and to encourage good and kindness - even in your own backyard!
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