There are times when you may face struggles in life. You may fall upon hard times, and you might have to reach out for help. There are different programs out there meant to help people get back on their feet. Unfortunately, there are times when companies judge those who are struggling. They treat those needing the help as if they are milking the system and asking for handouts. There are people who do that, but there are those who need help until they can recover and get back on their feet from whatever is taking place.
It isn’t easy to be judged for struggling, for lacking the income that so many take for granted (I’m looking at you Ali Krieger and Ashlyn Harris as you have cars handed to you after keeping your relationship hidden years as to not lose your sponsors and money). On top of that judgment, some also face discrimination while seeking that help that is so hard to ask for while keeping your pride intact.
I’m a lesbian. My wife and I were needing assistance. We reached out. And we ended up with a caseworker who decided to mess with our benefits because she doesn’t approve of our lifestyle. She doesn’t get paid to judge people. She doesn’t get paid to decide if our life is right or wrong. She tried to deny us benefits, lower benefits, misplaced paperwork, didn’t do the paperwork. It was one headache after another. Eventually, her supervisor had to be brought into it. It still doesn’t change what she did to us hurt us. She caused us to struggle even more than we already were. All because she thought the choice was hers to punish us for not agreeing with our love for one another.
We all have choices in life. We can choose to be bitter, miserable people who abuse the power we are given and choose to hurt others for our own beliefs. Or we can choose to be kind and help others when we are able. We can choose to be ignorant, intolerant human beings. Or we can choose to understand and be open to things that are different than we are used to. I hope if you have the opportunity to help someone less fortunate than yourself, you choose to do so. And not to boost your fame, or to gain public attention, but because your heart is telling you it’s the right thing to do. If you work in a setting where it is your job to help those less fortunate, I hope you do so with patience and grace.
Mindy
