Reasons
Thankfulness
I recently moved out of my house in Oxford. One of the boxes I used was filled with clothes, so that I could probably survive a month without putting a wash on. A different box, marked miscellaneous, was filled with ornaments, books I will never read and other random non essential items. My room was small, and I had never considered myself a hoarder, but I quickly realised just how much STUFF I have. Now I am staying with a friend, and living from one suitcase, and am starting to appreciate just how rich I am.
It's not just possessions though. According to the global rich list (http://www.globalrichlist.com) I am amongst the top 11.5% wealthiest people in the world, yet I consider myself quite poor. I have a disposable income, and live to a good standard. I can afford to eat three times a day, have running warm and cold water, spend every night in a warm bed under a roof and the NHS will freely aid me when I am ill. Despite this, I still find myself taking these things for granted. When I was younger I used to 'say the grace' before dinner, now I have fallen out of that excellent habit. It is only when I tried fasting that I realised how lucky I am to be eating so regularly.
By giving up our rights to regular meals, a warm comfortable place to sleep, our possessions and money I feel we will learn a deep respect and appreciation for each of these. I am not implying that the only way to be grateful for something is to not have it, but this is an effective way. I remember spraining my ankle once, such that I was limping everywhere. I had never appreciated the ability to walk so much as I did when I could again walk. Giving up everything is symbolic of what I am doing next year in going to KTC, and my hope is gratitude for each and every experience.
Empathy
I want to say that living on the streets is not an impressive feat that we are doing. Government figures show that in 2010, 1768 people were sleeping rough in England per night (http://www.crisis.org.uk/pages/rough-sleeping.html#5). Even more people have no stable home, making shelter a constant worry for them. It seems like a big deal for us choosing to do this, but many do it every day without choice. I want to try to understand what it is like for those people for whom sleeping rough is not a choice. Three days is not enough time to do this; we have homes to return to at the end of this, this hope will prevent us being tempted to form negative reality-distorting habits (like alcohol addictions) and it is not enough time to for us to get involved with the culture. What it will do is give us an impression of what people regularly go through via our own short experience, and allow us time to ask those people what it is like for them living it for real.
Isolation
Before Jesus started his ministry he spent forty days in the wilderness to fast and pray (i.e. Luke 4: 1-13). He had just been baptised, and filled with the Spirit. Instead of going straight into his ministry Jesus took that time to focus on God. He relied on God rather than food or shelter. I find the time I spend focusing on God so nourishing, but I always seem to find other things to occupy my hours in the day. Having that unstructured time to rely on God and draw close to him could be great before starting at college. Although I am doing this with a friend, I intend on spending a good portion of each day alone, and these times I want to dedicate to God. I look forwards to being freed from the business of the working life, like all holidays normally do, in preparation for next year.
Plan (these plans are subject to change, please feel free to comment)
Day 1 - The Wilderness
This day will be spent living away from town and other people. We will be finding and gathering our own food and water on this day, then sleeping outside (perhaps building a shelter).The idea behind this day is to prove that others are needed for our survival - no man is an island, especially in a crowded city like Oxford where there are few natural resources. There will be berries and fruit around, but I am expecting to be both cold and hungry on this day. Gerald's interest in survival could be especially useful here.
Day 2 - The City
We will spend this day and night living in the city centre of Oxford. On this day we will be able to talk with others, accept any help they offer, scavenge food, and sleep under man-made buildings. I am eager to experience what it might be like for a homeless person living on the streets on that day. One of the major issues about this day however, that I'd appreciate feedback on, is begging. Currently there are three different ideas:
1) Beg for food and money. This will allow us to understand what it is like for someone to rely on others for provision. We will have no money of our own, and need others money to eat. Any money we get given we will take a note of, then at the end of the three days it will be given to a charity like shelter, or city lunches (i.e. If we make £10 for the day, we will use what we need to eat, and then give the entire £10 to shelter). Anyone who does donate will be given a print out link to this page and some information as to where there money is going. I personally lean towards this option however begging is illegal, not supported by the charities which care for those on the streets and it may offend the others on the street or the people giving money (thus returning money to a charity and allowing people to become aware of where there money is going. It is important to me that we are not a burden to anyone through doing this.
2) Spend our own money. Either find out what a homeless person would survive on each day, and then only spend that, or decide on a fair amount before starting and only spending that amount on food. The idea would be to live frugally to achieve the aim of thankfulness.
3) Busk and work for the money (suggested by Tom). It would require us to return home and get the guitar, then apply for a busking license. In this case we would remain on the streets, but be working for any provisions.
Day 3 - The Culture
Day three will be similar to day two, except it will focus on the people themselves who live on the streets. We may decide to spend our own money on that day, to free time, or buy other homeless people food. The intention is to get to know the people who live there better. To hear their stories, understand what led them to where they are, and how it is for them living there permanently (because three days is not nearly long enough to build an impression of their world).
Update:
Since starting this blog I became a Counsellor. You can read more on blog on subjects like Therapy at:
www.simonslistening.co.uk
special thanks to all of those who have helped to create these ideas so far; namely Tom, Gerald and James
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