Compassion through Presence By Daniela Fogliano

The influx of technological advancements has made communication more efficient and accessible, as one can connect with others globally via a technical device. Despite this fact, society's vast fixation on devices such as cell phones has come with a slew of adverse effects, as people have lost the desire to connect in person. I, too, was a victim of this until I was given the opportunity to come face to face with those experiencing homelessness, which exposed me to a whole new side of life outside of my cell phone and displayed to me the fundamental values of life through helping out the less fortunate. This experience taught me that the most efficient way to achieve this is by taking in-person actions related to finding solutions and minimizing the prevalent problems in the world. 

An experience that allowed me to grasp the importance of human-to-human connections was when I was a leader in a Midnight Run at my school, Holy Child. The objective of this run was to distribute necessities such as clothing, toiletries and food at a stand on the streets of New York City to the homeless. In order to accomplish this, a few of my classmates and I had to plan and prepare extensively, which first involved numerous meetings to discuss logistics. We also held a supply drive to ensure this event could occur. After collecting everything, we sorted the supplies into bags, finally allowing us to head to New York City, the location of this life-changing experience.

From the start of the run, a line of homeless individuals traveled through the streets, all expressing desperation and dejection. Still, watching their faces transform into looking hopeful and excited after providing them with the bags was all the confirmation I needed of the essentialness of making a difference. However, the individuals we helped was sparked not only by our donations but also by our numerous conversations with them. One conversation that resonated with me was with a man over the stray dog he had adopted. What I found most remarkable from what I learned through this conversation was that even with his resources, he still had taken in a dog that he found on the streets and provided the dog with a home. The type of home he supplied to the dog was not a shelter, but instead was his unconditional love and affection that added security and comfort to the dog's life. His affection and care for the dog taught me that, while the donation portion of this run was critical to making a difference, being in person and interacting with those in need is equally important because it builds meaningful relationships that add closure to the homeless person's life through their hardships, which their circumstances typically make them void. Seeing the faces of the individuals facing these financial struggles also created a new level of sympathy within myself, motivating me to want to complete more acts like this in the future.  

Thus, this experience taught me the importance of becoming more inclined toward the suffering within the world, which can only be achieved by making in-person encounters rather than through a cell phone, since a cell phone impedes one's ability to connect with others fully. Furthermore, by making interactions in person, one can gain the motivation to find productive solutions, as seeing it with your eyes and feeling it with your heart gives one the incentive to want to make a difference. Starting an in-person conversation with someone experiencing financial difficulties also can help alleviate the emotional burden that insecurity can bring by restoring hope within themselves and adding happiness to their life.