How a society treats its most vulnerable is always the measure of its humanity. Statement by Ambassador Matthew Rycroft of the UK Mission to the UN at the Security Council Open Debate on Children and Armed Conflict

I saw many scenes like the above in the major US cities I visited earlier this summer. The mean streets of Philadelphia are this man’s home. When I took this shot, the temperature was 34C (93F) on a sultry morning.

Move along, folks. Nothing to see here, crutches and all.

A fellow human being treated like so much rubbish.

Someone’s son, maybe father, brother, husband, boyfriend.

A plastic bag of belongings as his pillow.

On a filthy sidewalk that is his home.

Unrealized potential.

Wasted time.

Palpable desperation.

Endless suffering.

A disposable life.

No way out.

Except the fate that awaits us all.

In a country that places so much value on money and material possessions, human life is cheap. The USA does not treat its most vulnerable kindly. That is the full measure of its humanity, its coal dust soul.

If you’re down and out, fuck you. It’s your fault. You’re the failure, not the heartless and dysfunctional society that allows this cruelty and inhumanity to exist.

In New York City I saw many more of his kind, including one man sprawled over a flower bed, a stark contrast of natural beauty and human anguish. I didn’t have time to record the moment.

In January 2023, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development estimated there were 650,000 homeless people. That number has been on the rise in recent years because of housing shortages and rising real estate prices. Many US Americans are mired in debt and live paycheck to paycheck, meaning more will end up like this gentleman. Other reasons include mental illness and drug addiction.

Forget about great. I’d settle for good, at least in how people are treated and the ability and commitment to meeting all their basic needs. In my dreams…

Peace, MAA