Hello My Dear Great Ones:
The skyline of Hong Kong is colossal. There are over 7000 high rises of all different shapes and sizes fighting for space and light like real trees in a jungle. It represents the staggering wealth that makes Hong Kong one of the richest cities on Earth. It is home to several billionaires, thousands of millionaires, and 100's of thousands that are very close. Their fortune is displayed through magnificent high rises, apartment complexes, top of the line automobiles, expensive restaurants, and stylish clothing. Yet on the other hand, there are well over a million people, many, much too many in the senior citizen range, in this mega rich city that live like rats, homeless, dirty, hungry, living in dank, dark alleyways, completely dependent on the grace of God for their survival. Here are a few of their stories.
Singer Man. Every day Singer Man leaves the men's shelter that he has lived in for years to sing for several hours under a tarp near the Temple Street Market. Cancer has robbed him of his health and ability to make a living. He subsists on the benevolence of Christians who visit him daily with a meal. Singer man sings badly, his rendition of the Titanic theme song for example, is from an objective standpoint, flat out terrible. But he sings with a smile, he sings with gusto, his effort is world class great. Watching him sing happily, despite his many woes and lack of ability, puts a smile on my face. Going from that perspective his rendition is actually beautiful.
Lonely Men. They sit alone together in a narrow alleyway, with a tarp strung from one end to the other, puffing on cigarettes. Nearby is the hustle and bustle of Temple Street Market where tourists from around the world seek to buy bargain items at bargain prices. Also, nearby is a restaurant where these old men eke out a living cleaning dishes and floors. This establishment apparently did not get the memo that a nice ambience should be part of a dining experience. The walls of this restaurant are rusting chain link fences, covered with pictures of the food that one can purchase from an open kitchen, whose cooks wear rubber boots. The roof is several plastic tarps slung together. Yet the place is packed. Old people mostly, food is cheap, low overhead keeps prices down.
Gramma. About 50 steps away from the chain link fence restaurant is a narrow passageway where a 90 year gramma lives under some plastic tarps. She has an apartment nearby, but she is too old and rickity to climb the steps to get there, plus she has given it up to her mentally ill child, now in his 60's. To get out of the apartment building and onto the main street this child must pass by his mother. To see him walk by each day gives her hope. What also gives her hope are the neighbors and people from a variety of ministries who bring food and encouragement. The last time I visited her she sung "Jesus Loves You," in Chinese as I walked away. It was beautiful.
7/11 Man. He has set up a bed/couch in front of a 7/11 and there he remains for a good part of his day. He is a security guard at a ramshackle apartment building sitting for hours in a tiny room, with a radio and small idol keeping him company. Yet, despite his circumstances, he is a often by the 7/11 store, greeting customers kindly with a smile and a wave. It is his home.
Stiff Leg Man. At one time he was a valued crewman on a ship and travelled the world. A freak accident and subsequent operation left him with rods in his legs that do not bend. The career as a sailor was over. He walks like a penguin and uses a cane to prop him up. A ministry team found him living under an air conditioning unit in this alley, which he still frequents often, starving and with his spirit broken. With their help he has a small apartment now and some dignity. Stiff Leg Man ekes out a living cleaning out garbage cans and bringing the junk to a depot where he gets paid by the weight of what he has brought in. He is an old dishevelled man, yet visiting him always is a time of encouragement. His toothless smile and dry humour brings light.
Beggar Man. Sometimes it is hard not to get cynical with some of the beggars in HK. They seemingly flaunt their old age or dismemberment to evoke sympathy. Are they not professional beggars? Yet, I am really in no position to judge. Food and encouragement is given to him by the ministry team. Yet, what I find most striking about this is how most people basically ignore him. They walk by without any concern, as if he does not exist.
Grumpy Man. Through a series of most unfortunate incidents, loss of employment and family, Grumpy Man exists, crumpled up by an ATM machine, a shield of glass protecting him from the elements of the sidewalk. He accepts food grudgingly, with a scowl and no appreciation. In all the time I have known Grumpy Man there has been only once where he accepted to listen to words and prayer of a ministry team. They spoke encouragement into a life that has given up its dignity and worth. And for a few moments as he was being prayed over Grumpy Man's face relaxed and there was a pencil line of a smile on his face.
Cardboard Lady. They are everywhere in HK. Mainly ladies, mainly old, they push carts to and fro seeking cardboard which they trade in for a few cents. A hard days work will fetch them maybe 2 or 3 dollars Canadian. Many of these old ladies walk bent over, the burdens of their life weighing heavily in their minds and in their bodies.
Cardboard Man. Nursing homes for the poor and aged are terrible, basically they are crowded dorm rooms with bunkbeds, that some choose to sleep out on the street like Cardboard Man. He came from a wealthy family, and is well educated. Sadly, mental illness broke his life and a promising future.
Jockey Club Lady. She ekes out a living selling pencils by an internet horse betting facility and by cleaning apartments. With no family to speak of she enjoyed the time with this mom and baby who spent some time talking to her.
History Lady. The lady in the front used to have several bags that held all her earthly possessions. Then some coward came along and stole almost all she had, including the little bit of money she possessed and her Hong Kong ID card. Now she is down to one bag. Yet, when she receives food and encouragement she shares her knowledge of Chinese history and her smile and eyes light up with gratitude. The lady in the background was evicted from her apartment from a landlord who wanted more than she could ever afford. She only had a few days to sort things out, but that certainly was not enough time to find a new place. Now she lives in an alley with History Lady, her earthly possessions piled up beside her, thanking God for any help she can get.
My Rant:
I understand that Hong Kong politicians are deathly afraid of turning their territory into a heavily taxed society like Canada or most European states. The low taxes in Hong Kong has created a great business climate and I, along with millions of others are enjoying the fruits of that. I get it. Yet, allowing so many people, so many of their own citizens, many with mental illness issues no fault of their own and the aged, to live like rats is an outrage, and a shameful, poor reflection of Hong Kong society. If Hong Kong raised their taxes by 2% and used that money to develop social programs for their citizens who are either mentally ill or elderly and can't work, Hong Kong would set a world standard on what a civilized society should look like. Till then it is mainly the Christians, only 4% of the population, who are actually doing something to make life a little easier for those less fortunate in Hong Kong. For that fact alone it makes me grateful that I identify with those whose lives centre around Jesus Christ and who He is and what He stands for. Amen.
Love adios and ping on!
Dirk
