Home
Doors
Essays2007
Essays2008
Essays2009
Essays2010
Wisdom
Gallery
Links
Bios
Contact
|
..:: Samanas ::..
By
Alan Schneider
Numbered among the countless
spiritual traditions in India is the phenomenon of the homeless begging
Seer. Frequently referred to as Samanas, these individuals often
own literally nothing, and may even go naked as an expression of
their utter disdain for all things material in the world. Begging for
food or alms is a method of training for, and a condition of induction
into, many established Ashramic facilities in India, as is the practice
of numerous other harsh austerities. All of these methods of discipline
have in common the goal of deemphasizing the material orientation
in consciousness by negatively associating awareness of the body
– the physical shrine of the material condition – through the imposition
of heightened suffering, possibly a form of behavior modification, but
certainly a most affective one. It was (and is still) felt by
many of the traditional Seers and Yogis that what assaults and degrades
the flesh is intrinsically capable of freeing the spirit by default, at
least when conducted within the greater rubric of a well-defined system
of Ascension techniques. Those who are able to withstand this gauntlet
of suffering are revered in Hindu culture as having mastered the tyranny
of the flesh, body, illusory Maya, and the Physical Plane.
By comparison, the Western
religious ideologies, while still appreciating the spiritual value of
many austerities and self-imposed restraints of several varieties, tend
to emphasize the legitimacy and primacy of materialism and
its attendant creature comforts. One end result of this underlying
materialistic theme is seen in the Occidental attitude toward the
condition of homelessness. In the West in general, and in America in
particular, the homeless individual is seen as the lowest, most
disreputable of persons, worthless and contemptible in every regard. The
possibility of voluntary sacrifice demonstrated by the homeless
condition for the attainment of a higher consciousness or purpose does
not even exist in the West. Instead, we persecute, defame, and
even kill the homeless beggar, who, in most cases, also
has no concept of the possibility of grace that may exist implicitly in
his condition, could it only be viewed in a higher light.
In response to the plight of
the homeless in the West, many agencies and individuals have taken up
the cause of ministry to their circumstances. This is a brief vignette
of one such person working here, in Arizona – Randall Amster.
Arizona is one of the worst states in the nation in terms of its
record of homeless abuse and persecution.
Amster is a well known
advocate for the homeless in Arizona. He has been active in this venue
for well over fifteen years, organizing programs and action on behalf of
the homeless population here and elsewhere around the country, and
giving speeches and presentations in support of this population of
individuals, whom many consider to be both pathetic and hopeless.
Amster began one such recent
presentation with a look at the world perspective on the gentrification
process. Gentrification is currently a preferred approach
to urban renewal. Private investors are directed to disadvantaged areas
by city planners in urban areas, in the frequently-validated hope that
they will finance redevelopment. Since the homeless tend to populate
such areas, they are subsequently forced out into other disadvantaged
locations, which are also subject to gentrification eventually. The net
impact around the world of this process is the continual removal of the
“commons” areas everywhere, depriving homeless people of the only
physical spaces in which they can exist. This activity is frequently
driven by international corporate interests who may actually have an
openly hostile attitude toward the disadvantaged in local communities,
and certainly tend to be unsympathetic in any case. This continual
movement from one area to another, and yet another, is known as “the
March to Nowhere” among the homeless. The practice of gentrification is
becoming increasingly popular as a method of urban restructuring, and is
very harmful to the homeless.
The central issue present
here concerns the democratic process in local operation. The
availability of public space as a support for this process is
critical. Privatization of land ownership and use threatens not only the
disadvantaged in a community, but regular functional citizens as
well. It comes down to this: if all or most of the literal space in an
area is unavailable for public meetings, due to
gentrification/privatization, the democratic process becomes severely
restricted at the grass roots level. Since this is the growth edge of
much free activity, including free speech, the reality supporting all
freedom is functionally, progressively destroyed.
This basic theme is supported
by both chronological and topical support. The chronological approach
tracks the gentrification process from it’s beginnings in the San
Francisco Bay area approximately twenty years ago to the present time,
around the world. The topical method expands on this historical
approach, to include the full range of homeless issues, such as the
relative unavailability and overcrowding of shelters in urban locations
(Tempe, for example, has no shelters), the lack of medical and legal
support for indigents, poor or absent nutrition, mental health concerns
(many of the homeless originally were “released” from mental
institutions during the Reagan presidency), clothing, casual (if any)
employment availability, and re-education. These conditions of food,
clothing, shelter, and education are seen as basic features of life by
most of us, but are frequently absent in the lives of the homeless.
Numerous articles from
various local newspapers and national periodicals verify these claims.
Several issues are specific to Tempe and Mill Avenue, such as the
unavailability of public restrooms (all of the restrooms on Mill Avenue
are subject to private control), the little-known system of cameras
(known as “The Sneaky Pete” system to those who disapprove of such
measures) that blankets Mill Avenue 24-7, and the Sidewalk Initiative.
This latter is a particularly questionable measure in which the
sidewalks are “leased” to the local merchants as their venue by
the city, granting them control over even this area of space. The
thrust of development in Tempe under the present administration has been
to convert the admittedly neglected character of Mill Avenue into a
“Downtown Fantasy Land” (from the Downtowner, Nov/Dec 2000), a
fantasy which pointedly does not include indigents, and caters to
the upper income brackets in the area. Have we no compassion at all?
Apparently not...
A number of activist counter
measures have occurred in recent years to resist the privatization on
Mill Avenue, including the recent organization of Project S.I.T. –
Sidewalk Initiative Team. The personnel of S.I.T. publicize the
conditions on “The Mill”, support the homeless who go there with a
variety of services, and monitor the ever-present police interventions
against them. The function of homeless dispersal frequently falls on the
police, and it is one which they tend to dislike, but will perform
anyway. The “Broken Window” theory has evolved in the last few years as
a justification of police intervention against the homeless. This theory
holds that enforcement against “low level” crimes (e.g. graffiti, broken
windows, refuse) tends to function as a “high level” deterrent against
more serious crime. Although there is little or no evidence in support
of this contention, it is nonetheless (and understandably) very popular
among development advocates. This theory has now become a standard of
law enforcement organizations everywhere.
An additional measure has
been created in the defense of the homeless on and around Mill Avenue in
the from of a website: The Freedom of Information Times site at
http://www.foitimes.com/tempe.htm.
This site collects and disseminates information regarding transient
issues in Tempe and surrounding communities. And Amster has done very
well in his attempts to focus attention on the local, national, and
international homeless situation. He has consistently called for action
regarding further intervention in the plight of the homeless through
community support on all levels, including letter writing to public
officials, shelter support and construction, and food, clothing, and
medical program development.
The homeless are frequently
seen as a blight on Western society at large, with the result that they
are responded to with repression, not compassion. The
homeless condition is being criminalized now, as never before, in the
wake of increasing gentrification around the world. Gentrification
really amounts to the “commodification” of life everywhere, negating the
humanity of all people, but particularly the homeless among us.
As the current world economic crisis continues to escalate everywhere,
the ranks of the dispossessed follow suit. Are we all doomed to join in
“the March to Nowhere” eventually? Or will mercy and compassion
prevail? I personally have always sided with the compassionate in this
question, and now more than ever. Whether we know it or not, we are all
facing the world crisis together, and our survival as a species
may well depend on action that acknowledges this, and supports the world
human community at all levels in compassion and caring.
Supporting Reference Material
1) “The Downtown Tempe Fantasy Land”,
The Downtowner, Nov/Dec 2000.
2) “The City May Privatize Sidewalks”, by
Angela Romano, The Wildcat Online, 1998.
3) “Officer Suspended for Refusal to
Enforce Against the Homeless”, L.A. Times.
4) Vol. #01, The Homeless Task Force
Report, 09/01/2000.
5)
“Homeless Enforcement Practices”, The East Valley Opinion, March
03, 2000.
- With Love, Alan -
(Copyright 2009, by Alan Schneider)
Return to Top
|