The Right to Exist
by Jack Bragen
At times I have been made to feel I should apologize for existing. This feeling is probably at the heart of my paranoia and rage.
The question is: How does one respond when a person says one doesn't have the right to exist? There are those who would attempt to deprive another of their right to exist, and they expect the person will go along with that; they are surprised when the person is angry. Why is this so? Maybe because someone who would have that attitude to wipe out another has a screw loose in the first place, and their lack of realism is just part of that.
The right to exist is an inalienable right, and it is provided for in our Constitution as part of our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. When poor people are harassed and deprived of the means to eke by, it is unconstitutional. When the system is set up to enforce poverty through a quagmire of rules, it is unconstitutional. When laws are passed for the deliberate purpose of driving homeless people out of certain neighborhoods, it is unconstitutional.
Believing you have the right to exist and to be happy is not a "sense of entitlement" as used in a derogatory way. Instead, it is an "inalienable" right, as Jefferson described it - a birthright that cannot be taken away by any government official or anyone else.
The United States deprived Iraq citizens of their right to exist and expected them to be grateful. Instead, they were angered at us. Go figure.
When too many people in your life want it "their way," whether they are governmental officials, family or whatever, sometimes you just have to risk displeasing them and put up a little fight. The biggest sin is when everyone wants to deprive you of your right to exist and you do nothing about it.
Hunger in Concord
by Jack Bragen
In several areas of Concord I have encountered desperate people. In some instances, I have been able to give them a few coins out of my pocket. In one case, I gave a man a hamburger I had just bought. Sometimes, I am in my car and I am not carrying anything I can give the person, and it breaks my heart -- I can't look the person in the eye.
I have encountered hungry and desperate persons all over Concord. Some appear to possibly be starving to death. Some people may think, "They are alcoholics and they want money for their beer." However, at no time have I seen any of these persons drinking alcohol, and I don't think that is a valid assumption.
The free meal at Loaves and Fishes in Concord is very accessible, if you have a car and if you can wait until lunch hour on weekdays. However, many of the people I have seen are just stuck in a location where there appears to be no help, except possibly the mercy of strangers.
When you expect to be in Concord, plan to carry small bills to hand out if you encounter a needy person. Also, food is good to hand out. These are desperate times in which people cannot always pull themselves up by their bootstraps. Do not ignore someone who asks for help if you can help it.
They Tell Disabled People: 'Just Get With It'
by Jack Bragen
"Just get with it!" This phrase is often hurled at those of us who have had a major life setback, whether it is a mental illness, chronic unemployment, homelessness or just the inability to "get with it."
Some of us have more documentation than others to corroborate our problems that make it difficult for us to keep pace with other people. We know who we are, and we know it's hard to carry on. This article is a voice for our distress.
Some people in the role of "helpers" may put a broom in our hands, tell us to "get to work," and wonder what we are upset about or why we feel humiliated.
This person could be about the same age as we are; and, if circumstances were different, could be our equal. Yet now they are in the role of supervising us, the disabled stooge. This person might earn a six-figure income, maybe refers to us jokingly, and would never consider pushing the same broom. This is one scenario, not the only one.
When you have one or more of these limitations, it can be out of your reach to perform at the level necessary to be able to earn a good living, or even to get the education to do so. This doesn't make disabled people dumb. And it is like putting salt in the wound when people lecture us on having the right attitude.
It is easy to criticize someone else's progress when you haven't lived within their skin. For those of us who have been criticized in this way by people who truly don't know what it's like, we need to discredit those "experts" in order to preserve our self-respect. You have to wonder why certain persons need to put us down.
It takes more than attitude to maintain employment or to make your fortune in the world. Let me illustrate a point: I weigh 220 pounds and can run a little bit without getting out of breath and needing to stop. In the park, I saw a man twice my size with lots of flesh on him, and he was running like a locomotive. Could I ever outperform this man? No. If I had a good attitude and worked out, could I outperform this man? No.
The point is that attitude doesn't change the basic physical nature of the universe. It can only help you push harder with what you already have.
People who have never experienced a disability generally have a hard time conceptualizing what it is like to have such a limitation. This makes it hard for people to be compassionate. This creates resentment on the part of us, the disabled people, for the lack of compassion of the mainstream. People misunderstand what the limitation is, mistakenly believing we are just not trying hard enough or that the limitation is one of fortitude or maturity. Not so.
Over the years, I have heard all the messages: "Jack, you can't keep jobs because of your lack of maturity." "Jack, you need more fortitude." "Jack, you need to put out more effort." Unfortunately, the worst tormentor has always been myself.
The actual answer is that I have an underlying limitation that makes it many times harder to survive in a work environment. That combined with the fact that I experienced trauma on the job, in some cases life-threatening trauma, and you have a person who has a rough time holding jobs.
This is an answer to a puzzle I have tried to solve for well over 20 years. The answer gives closure and doesn't give money, although it does point what direction not to go.
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