Sim Card Board

Modern technology has brought about an interesting set of contrasting circumstances.  And I will try to explain my angst.  I am not attempting to justify or judge or even make any sort of recommendations or even a theological point here, I am just reporting an observation.

On several occasions, a twist to my social interaction, from afar, has occurred.  It was as if two extremes, one from the left and one from the right came rushing together and merged as seamlessly as possible.

Where we live at the coast, we get our fair share of homeless people.  Most of them are vagabond travelers “just a passin’ through” heading to their next often unknown destination.  You do what you can for who you can, but the reality is, there is a limitation on our compassion and our grace.

I am not trying to excuse our behavior and I am not trying to throw any guilt around, Lord knows we have enough of that anyway, I am just stating the truth.

Now, just twenty five miles north, a larger smaller town resides.  And because it is larger, and it has a major highway heading east out of it, there are more services for the homeless and the “down and out” so you see a lot more of them on street corners with signs.

The signs are their communication with the world stating their plight, their unfortunate situations, and their felt need of money.  You have them where you live as well.  And, it seems like the same people are on the same corner with the same sign day after day after day.  You may not travel that route for awhile, but look at that, three months later and the same guy is still there.

Now, let’s talk about me.  I have a cell phone.  I know that is not news as it seems like everybody these days have cell phones.  I have even seen eight year olds with them and my own son, whose six, has been pretending that he has a phone for at least three years.  I remember my toy phone as a kid.  It was brightly colored with a smiling face, wheels and a pig tail piece of cord so I could drag it anywhere.

But now I am a grown up and I have a cell phone.  And as far as cell phones go, it is a dinosaur.  It has no connection to the internet and it is a flip phone.  It has not been upgraded for a long time now.

 But it works for me and since we don’t have good reception where we are and we are “grandfathered” in with our plan, there just doesn’t seem to be need for me to change it up.  Maybe someday.

The following event has not happened to me twice.  The people are different but the story is the same one.  I was in a grocery store coffee shop doing some reading, writing, and sipping on my old reliable “a grande, non-fat vanilla latte”  when a homeless guy walks in and sits down at a table.

There is a bus stop right outside, so they come in out of the rain to wait.  And without pre-judging, it is kind of obvious from just casual observation that he’s homeless.  Dirty clothes, matted hair, a well worn back pack, a bit of body odor, and a cardboard sign.

As I sit there, writing in my spiral notebook, reading my paperback, sipping on my coffee, my Samsung flip phone sitting on the table, I think to myself that I am truly grateful to God that I am not homeless.  At least not yet.  I am not lording it over him or believing that I am so much better than him, no, it was more of a realization of the undeserved mercy and provision that God has given me.

And because of that, I was contemplating.  Maybe I should get this guy a cup of coffee or a muffin or something.  Then a phone ringer goes off. And the homeless guy pulls out his smart phone and answers it. 

I mean this guy has a better, more expensive, and fully loaded bells and whistles.  I don’t know what kind of plan he is on whether it is monthly or a pay as you go, but the reality is that he is more technologically connected to the 21^st century than I am. 

On the different occasion, with a different guy, same scenario.  He pulls out his smart phone, makes a call, connects his ear buds and listens to Pandora or his downloaded  “road trip mix” and begins to read the most current novel ranked number one on the best sellers list.

I think that it is great that everyone has a cell phone.  We all know how important the can be especially in an emergency or a crisis.  Years ago, as I was watching the news about the Columbine school murders, there was an interview on how several students used their cell phones to call their parents, to call the police,  and to call for help. 

I knew then, that phones, no matter how annoying they can be, no matter how many times poor etiquette seems to go hand in hand with them, they are a good thing. So, have a phone, I am good with that.  Even if you are homeless.

I just don’t get the smart phone in one hand and the cardboard sign in another.   When did that become the norm?  Over and over again, people come and ask for money for us to put them up in a motel, or to buy them a meal, and in their pocket is a piece of machinery that has not only revolutionized the world, it has rendered useless the  need for owning other separate gadgets.  Don’t need a laptop.  Don’t need a camera.  Don’t need a stereo.  Don’t need a day planner.  Don’t need maps.  Don’t need a newspaper.  Don’t need a video game.

And yet, even with that powerful piece of technology, there still seems to be a need for some to have a cardboard sign.