View on a Blind Eye

June 23rd 2015 Last week I was in Austin, which is known for many things, but mostly 1)The University of Texas 2) The Capitol of Texas and 3) The Most Liberal City in Texas I was there for a trade show and each day I would pass by the infamous 6th street where clubs and bars alike were lined up and down the street for college students and older adults looking for a place to relax or enjoy healthy beverages. In the distance though, I also noticed hundreds of homeless people falling asleep on the sidewalk or lining up outside shelters on the same street or a couple streets away throughout the day and night… and as I drove by I couldn’t help but think, how is it possible for people to turn a blind eye to those in sorrow? How can someone enter a club or bar and forget what they had to pass through to enter this establishment? In most high schools, it is now required to dedicate 100 hours of community service in order to receive a distinguished degree. With over 50,000 students and 20,000 staff members, I have to wonder why a prestigious university wouldn’t require a similar effort from their students. I recall volunteering when I went to college at Florida State, but it was teaching in schools and required for my degree. Volunteering provides a sense of pride and an appreciation of the tangible and intangible items you have that some would love to be able to grasp, if only for a moment. If half the population of the university spent 100 hours a year volunteering in the community, you would have over 2.5million hours of volunteer time. In colleges we learn about the struggle of those less fortunate, but we rarely learn to take action to help those in need. A lens can also be put on the state capitol and their staffs on mandatory volunteer hours. If elected officials are truly public servants, shouldn’t they be contributing towards their own communities also? I recently started volunteering a few years back and find it one of the most rewarding and best parts of my days. I find it better than throwing money at a problem because by giving my time, I can teach others life skills I have learned while learning from them. I find that just because someone doesn’t have a college degree, doesn’t mean they aren’t full of knowledge. A song had the following quote in the 90’s and I wonder why 20+ years later we still have the same view… “Never thought twice about spending on a ol' bum, until I had the chance to really get to know one Now that I know him, to give him money isn't charity He gives me some knowledge, I buy him some shoes And to think blacks spend all that money on big colleges, still most of y'all come out confused”