I wish there was some way that anyone who despises a particular religion, country or  social class could spend time in those environs with the people they vilify.  I think most people would discover within a few days, sometimes in only hours, the humanity that they were blind to while clinging to uninformed opinions.

Articles like the one linked below convince me of this.  This doctor walked among the homeless and saw human beings, a whole new world deserving of care and dignity. I can’t help being reminded of a certain son of God who did much the same thing over 2000 years ago.

Together, we made house calls under the bridges, along the riverbanks and in the abandoned buildings of Pittsburgh.

A whole new world opened to me. The depth of medical need I saw was exceeded only by the hopelessness of the people I came to know. Each person became inconveniently real to me, and going home to my warm bed became increasingly difficult. But what I also discovered was the profound satisfaction of bringing care directly to those who would otherwise have none. I was becoming part of the street world.

Another reality

In the homeless camps and in the alleys, I found people who had suffered extremes of weather, violence and prejudice. Many were older, confused people; some were war veterans holding on to the last shreds of their dignity; others were simply people who had fallen on hard times and lost hope. I saw hideous leg ulcers and cancers that were untreated. But mostly I saw human beings who had minimal access to loving, effective services.

via House calls to the homeless – CNN.com.