Sunday, January 8th, 2023
The Annex, Toronto
I am quite alarmed by the vast increase of homelessness in all the places I go to, and in the areas I walk. We have all seen people pushing a shopping cart with extensions on it; half-full bags dangling to the side. Clothes, sleeping gear, and some processed foods are the contents and more. I imagine for some homeless folks, you might find medications, drugs and other addictions matter.
In my walk with Uday and Navi today, we saw such a woman in a daze standing outside a department store on Bloor Street. It is tearful to see. But then you have indoor and outdoor people without a real home, living in tents, or under a bridge. There are such lifestyles as couch surfing, migrating to different shelters, and now, because of the housing crisis, some Toronto homeowners are offering shared beds for $600.00 a month. It’s astounding.
The main reason why people are driven out of a dwelling place is financial. After the pandemic, prices on just about everything soared high. Strained relationships are another reason for the exodus.
Prosperous living? Stable lifestyles? No way, at least for many.
When our guru, Prabhupada, suggests we go back home, he is referring to the place which holds a maximum capacity—a zone of absoluteness, permanence, safety, warmth in relations with others. That place of charm should be our destination, a space we share with the One above. We need to really care about these social disparities currently all around us, in the form of homelessness. The financial influences of today must have heart and make adjustments. Our leaders and educators must refocus to a higher conscious level.
“God bless the child.”
MAY THE SOURCE BE WITH YOU!
6 km
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