A man recently came to our school to talk about being homeless.
To a lot of us it seems like something that is so unrelated to our lives that we brush it off completely. We hurry past the hurt, hungry faces in our city. We ignore the shelters we pass on the blocks. Some of us may not even consider them human anymore. They're just part of the scenery. Like they're supposed to be there. Like they're meant to be there. We've all done it. We've all become numb to it.
The five classes this man spoke to expected him to talk solely about what it's like to be homeless. He didn't. He talked about everything. Sex. Drugs. Love. Jobs. Abuse. Heroin. School. Kids. Adults. Emotions.
He talked about life.
But of all the things he said, this is what stuck out to me most.
All this man ever wanted, in all his 17 years of living on the streets of Washington D.C., was for someone to say "Good morning" to him.
People said all kinds of things. They called him filthy. They cussed him out. Some didn't say anything.
Kids my age would pull pranks on him. They would urinate on him when he slept. They would fling feces at him.
There are so many things we all want as people. Cars. Houses. Money. Fame. Glory.
He just wanted one simple phrase.
"Good morning."
Words have so much more power then we belive. Words change everything. They're the difference between life and death. Love and hate. Words are everything. Sometimes, all you need is one word to help you get by.
So, my friends, at this time of 12:00, Eastern Time, I have something to say to you.
Good morning.