This morning I was doing an errand and noticed a new homeless person in my town. He looked fresh. He still had fabulous hair but he'd already started accumulating the tell tale signs of homelessness. But he wasn't panhandling. So I yelled out to him - Hey Baby, why are you on the streets?
He was very happy to tell me he'd lost his job, his permit to work in the US, and his mother. But what he really wanted to do was write a book about the universe only he knew. Yet he didn't have all the markings of being really crazy yet. He obviously needed money to get some paperwork, but also he really wanted to write that book and all of a sudden wanted to get me to write it. He'd give me the ideas.
In my head I was like - you have all the time in the world! I have shit to do. Why do you think I would write a book for you? But I only managed to ask why he wasn't taking odd jobs. He was back on that book. I left telling him - the longer you stay on the streets - the harder it is to get out. But they never listen.
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I've mentioned before perhaps that I'm a big fan of Eric Berne's "Games People Play" ...
ReplyDeleteThis homeless person wants to initiate a game of "I'm Only Trying to Help You" with inevitably bad consequences.
That game is a gateway to "See What You Made Me Do", "Now I've Got You, You Son of a Bitch", and "Look How Hard I've Tried", but ultimately it plays out as a really nasty game of "Kick Me" with two players who alternate kicking each other.
In other words, it's exactly the kind of game you would expect from a homeless person, especially the kind who is going to make himself crazy.
"Kick Me" can also be played with a single player who enjoys kicking the ever-livin' shit out of himself ...
OH BUT LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO BY PSYCHOANALYZING THE CRAP OUT OF SOME HOMELESS PERSON
(hahahahaha :-) )
Yeah I agree that can happen. But I was guessing at least two out of three of those things were lies. If not all three. I even doubted he had lost his ability to work in the US. He was an Indian guy, but I'm pretty sure he's gotten the memo. And people who are in a real spiral wouldn't be pinning all their hopes on hitting it big on a book. Some people put all their hopes in one unobtainable basket, and pass up every real thing that can make their life better. That is pure dysfunction.
ReplyDeleteThere is a guy in my city that I don't even think is homeless. He is super fat. But he clocks in to his spot every single day. If he spent the same amount of effort of at real job - he'd have an effing job.