October 19th, 2008 | by O.A. Wisen
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Conventional wisdom tends to state rather pompously that, “A homeless man is a loser”, but the truth of the matter is that on the flip side of the coin, there also exist some dissipated, down-spirited and unmotivated people who live in homes, have decent careers, but see themselves as fighting a losing battle everyday. In many ways their minds and spirits are in a hurting state far beyond that of those considered homeless. So it can definitely be argued forever, and cannot be irrefutably conclusive that a homeless man is an all around loser, but simply homeless.

Interestingly enough, if a person observes a homeless man long enough, and this person, during the period of his (or her) observation, approaches it with a more positive reflection, they will soon begin to realize some traits of a homeless man that won’t be a bad idea if it were emulated by them. If you have read a prior article on, Some of Life’s Greatest Insights, you will soon begin to realize which of those insights a homeless man might possess.

Being that I am not homeless, I can only discuss based on the point of view of my observation of a couple (but not all) of homeless people in the Washington, DC metro area. Now I’ve gotten my disclaimer out of the way, here are some thoughts about Johnny Homeless.

Johnny Has More to Gain

This homeless man appears to view himself as having nothing to lose and everything to gain along certain perspectives. Because of this, he is not ashamed when he approaches a group of people to entreat them for loose change, and does not give much thought to their opinion of him as long as he accomplishes his goal of securing his next meal.

Johnny Has Very Little Concerns

This homeless man only tends to worry about when and how he gets his next meal and if he can go about his way without being harassed. Unlike the rest of us, somewhere along the way, we worry about our jobs, we worry about our houses, we worry about bills, we buy cars and worry about it, we worry about clothes and how appealing our fashion statements are, we worry about our wives, we worry about husbands, we worry about the children, we worry about the economy, we worry about making money, we worry about spending money, we worry about getting married, we worry about getting divorced, we worry… Hopefully you get my point. Arguably, a homeless man has learned to worry less – either because he automatically doesn’t have much to worry about, or his “worry points” are reduced because it doesn’t help him accomplish his goal of a place to sleep, something to wear, and the next meal.

Johnny Is Content

He is happy with where he is at. He doesn’t have grandiose expectations of others, and has sufficient expectations about himself within the confines of his established comfort level. He hardly has anything to prove to anyone, except perhaps, maybe himself – that’s easy because not that many people care about what he does, save for a handful of people.

Johnny Appreciates the Little Things

Johnny tends to appreciate the little things in life that we may easily take for granted. He doesn’t know how long it will last, doesn’t expect it to, and cherishes it while it lasts. A burger will always taste better to him than it does to anyone that can purchase one without giving it much thought. A spot close to the fireplace with warm blankets on a cold night would probably be more appreciated.

Lessons Learned

1. We should be optimistic about today and the future by having positive expectations. We do this by never being consumed by fear or embarking on goals and issues with much trepidation.

   Jimmy Dean said:

   “I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.”

   Maria Robinson, stated:

   “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”

2. We should learn to worry less. Worrying is one of the major causes of stress in this day and age, and stress is not good for overall health and well-being. Reinhold Niebuhr stated in the Serenity Prayer:

“God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things which should be changed and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other”

3. We should learn to be content (satisfied) at all times. When we are content, we are happy, and feel fulfilled. Greed is never ending, and frustrations are very taxing on the mind and body.

   Frederick Koenig said:

   “We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.”

   Lao Tzu, a Chinese philosopher also stated hundreds of years ago that:

   “Health is the greatest possession. Contentment is the greatest treasure. Confidence is the greatest friend. Non-being is the greatest joy.”

4. While blessed with much, we should never forget to cherish the little things that we experience everyday. Some things are rights, others are privileges, but both need to be appreciated. In a world as vast as ours, one man’s right could very well be another man’s desire.

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