I spent the night walking around and got a little sleep on a bench outside of the Borders on Peachtree. It was just as I thought it would be; bright and loud. A couple of my friends had mentioned that they had been robbed or been associated with someone who had been and I was a little fearful given what I was doing. Oddly, the yellow/orange halogen lights, the passing cars, and the distant sirens are not what kept me awake.
Earlier in the evening, I was at the MARTA station in Five Points in Atlanta. It is the center of town and the hub of the train system. There, waiting for a train, was a homeless guy in an old camo jacket with a couple of days beard growth, and he was "preaching" in the corner. Softly and basically, just talking.
Also waiting for the bus was a group of others, a couple may have been drunk coming from or going to somewhere, who knows. What kept me awake all night was one of these guys telling the homeless guy "There is no God!" and turning to his friends and laughing.
Even if you do not believe in God, is that any reason to rob someone of their hope...especially if it is someone who is clinging to that hope as he goes to sleep at night while you go home to your warm bed? To his credit, the homeless man went to him and shook his hand. Still, is this how we treat the least among us?
Very well said. How sad that this person felt the need to hurt that homeless man with those words.
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