The Moral of the Story

I think in the story of the Stanford student the lesson is not that he does not think solving homelessness is impossible, but that he wants his grandchildren to experience the joy of service. Not the selfish joy of "helping someone" though this is always a nice feeling, but the joy of watching a person or a situation gone wrong change! This joy and these experiences offer more to us than any lesson we can learn in a classroom. Granted, many people learn better by reading or studying, however, most people learn and grow with hands on experiences. Experiences that change us and can not be taught in a classroom. These hands on experiences offer lifelong lessons. Whether you are reading/talking to an elderly person or serving soup at a homeless shelter, a person learns from the experiences of others. Our experiences build upon one another. It is just like in the previous chapters where we discussed learning from other peoples stories.

Although the thought of everyone having a home, where no one would be forced to sleep in shelters or on the streets would be amazing, I find that it would be improbable. I'm normally a very positive person, however, to me this idea is unrealistic. Unfortunately, we will always struggle financially as well as emotionally which is how many people end up on the street. I think it is improbable that the world would be able to provide for all of these people who are struggling. The best we can do is help the organizations help them.

Yet, I too hope that my grandchildren will be able to experience what I have been blessed to take part in. I know that if they are able to experience some of the struggles and stories I have heard, they will be sure to help in social activism and will hopefully pass that on to their grandchildren and so on...
With this I still think we can change to world one step, one generation at a time.