The Nameless

They vulnerably lay in the streets with no names.

Everyday I see them, faces shielded away from the innocent observer’s condescending eyes. Filth overwhelms their exteriors while torment stripes their souls. Neglect, torture, and disdain are spelt out in the contours of their disheveled skin. A life of aberrations and missteps is apparent but who am I to pass judgment. Moment by moment mistakes are made yet life moves on. We accept these individual bundles as part of the ‘life-cycle’; the learning curve of maturity and development. Justified under the helm of the momentarily misguided conscious or the seemingly faultless moral compass going astray, individual stumbles are accepted as facts of life that we all must endure. Indeed, one who claims a life clear of these personal errors is discredited immediately on the basis of utter and pure falsehood. They are labeled as insecure and apprehensive, unable to admit their own ills. Overall, we accommodate these transitory lapses that cause little pain. We find ourselves up and willing to move on. But, what happens when these momentary slips, the careless oversights collude together and happen as one? What results when the majority deviates from their collective conscious simultaneously? Are we then so complacent?

Unfortunately, current 21st century movements suggests yes. From the continual genocides taking place in Darfur and Iraq (just to name a few) to the homeless pandemic reeking havoc across Vancouver’s streets, we have all continued to make the same misstep as the next. Omission, inattention and disrespect continue to plague and poison our minds. Why? I do not know. Maybe it is the sense of disconnect, the lack of interconnectedness we are able to create. The sense that ‘they’ are there and ‘I’ am here and this is the way it was intended to be. Others may shout the Darwinian survival of the fittest and press forward. Further, some may claim that these senseless deaths are simply part of the equilibrium, the necessary balance of global population to keep our resources plentiful and at our disposal. Whatever the case may be, the simple point remains: individually and thus, collectively, we have swayed terribly off course. Our understanding of what is ‘just’ has been severely tainted; democracy itself is a word that we now know little about.

As it is, until things change they will remain continuously lying in the streets with no names.