Episode 165: Getting Out of the Way

There is another way of looking at the problem of the poor, or any problem really.Most of us believe that we must do something.And there is a place for that.But often, the appropriate response is to do nothing,To get out of the way as people grapple with their problems.I will use the poor to illustrate, and housing.We get in the way of simple housing.But we don't have to.A poor person will erect a shack if you let him.And a shack is the perfect solution for most,Especially nowadays.A person can erect a shack without relying upon the state,Without depending upon anyone but him or herself.And there is a huge sense of accomplishment that comes with that, and security.It is a win of monumental proportions for the man or woman that's in need.But there's a problem.Nobody wants the shack to be on their property,Even if they are not using the property.And there is another problem.There is no property that is not claimed by somebody.But what if we got out of people's way?Instead of throwing money at the problem of the homeless,What if we let them erect their shacks?It's rare that they would try to do it on your lawn.They would probably find a little place on an abandoned lot.And if you own that lot, do you have to chase them away?Perhaps you could even welcome them as a neighbor.Perhaps you could be their friendIn the same way that you might befriend the birdThat builds its nest in your barn.And what if the neighborsInstead of passing laws against shacksWere to say that it's ok?What if we were to just get out of each other's way?I know that this idea turns the world upside down.We have all been striving toward the accumulation and protection of our propertyFor as long as history has been recorded.But it doesn't have to be this way. It's a new idea for a new age.And when we embrace it, the world will change.When we embrace it...the world will change.Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field till no space is left... Isa 5:8 NIV