Question:
When homeless people sit around a campfire, do they tell ghost stories?
My Reply:
Homeless people usually aren't as you've seen on TV or in the movies. So if you're getting your question from such, then I can understand your misconception about the homeless.
During my previous years of living in Chicago, I'd often stop and talk with homeless people. We'd talk about life, faith, past, struggles, and needs. There are a lot of really "good people" living on the streets, many even with their families, and most of which don't fit the stereotype.
For example, your vision of them sitting around a campfire. In the city, you probably won't even find a bunch of them standing around a trash can on fire like cub scouts and a bonfire trying to keep warm. In fact, you may find it difficult to even find such community among many who are homeless. Instead, most often they're trying to keep warm in doorways, under viaducts, in cardboard boxes, cars, or by some other means, and not so often in groups. Some are lucky enough (blessed?) to raise enough money to stay in a very cheap hotel room (like $20) for the night. You may ask what about overnight shelters, and I've asked about them, too. But each homeless person I've spoken with said the shelters are more dangerous for them than the streets, in terms of being stabbed or robbed.
So do they tell ghost stories? Since a huge number of homeless people today were once either politicians or military vets, I'm willing to bet that any ghost story out there couldn't be as scary as their experiences then, or the daily threats of living on the street, whether alone or with family.
Either way, I'd suggest you find some homeless people, talk with them some, and ask them if they ever get a chance to sit around a campfire and tell ghost stories. Or sit with them in a conversation and see what sort of things they do talk about, for many homeless are just happy that somebody stopped to say hello and show genuine concern for them. And in your conversation with them, you may get your answer about ghost stories, or, you may find that their real-life stories are more frightening.
During my previous years of living in Chicago, I'd often stop and talk with homeless people. We'd talk about life, faith, past, struggles, and needs. There are a lot of really "good people" living on the streets, many even with their families, and most of which don't fit the stereotype.
For example, your vision of them sitting around a campfire. In the city, you probably won't even find a bunch of them standing around a trash can on fire like cub scouts and a bonfire trying to keep warm. In fact, you may find it difficult to even find such community among many who are homeless. Instead, most often they're trying to keep warm in doorways, under viaducts, in cardboard boxes, cars, or by some other means, and not so often in groups. Some are lucky enough (blessed?) to raise enough money to stay in a very cheap hotel room (like $20) for the night. You may ask what about overnight shelters, and I've asked about them, too. But each homeless person I've spoken with said the shelters are more dangerous for them than the streets, in terms of being stabbed or robbed.
So do they tell ghost stories? Since a huge number of homeless people today were once either politicians or military vets, I'm willing to bet that any ghost story out there couldn't be as scary as their experiences then, or the daily threats of living on the street, whether alone or with family.
Either way, I'd suggest you find some homeless people, talk with them some, and ask them if they ever get a chance to sit around a campfire and tell ghost stories. Or sit with them in a conversation and see what sort of things they do talk about, for many homeless are just happy that somebody stopped to say hello and show genuine concern for them. And in your conversation with them, you may get your answer about ghost stories, or, you may find that their real-life stories are more frightening.
---Pastor Andy
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