ARE WE UP TO THE TASK OF CARING FOR THE 'UNLOVABLE?

Open Your Heart To The Struggles Of Homeless Natives

Re: "Drug users make city the new HIV hot spot," Journal, Aug. 12.

I feel compelled to write in response to the article about the rate of
HIV in the homeless Aboriginal street population. It includes the
quote: "If it was hard organizing services for gay men, at least they
were lovable, but it's not true of this population."

In my experience, working for four years with Our Voice, Edmonton's
street newspaper, the problem is not that these people are not
lovable. In fact, in most cases they are intensely lovable, full of
humour, tenacity, and almost unbelievable courage in the face of
difficulties you and I could not even imagine.

The problem is that we, as a culture, have been trained to love only
the successful, the beautiful, the Gap people, the Martha Stewart
people, the Ikea people. We can't see lovability in unfamiliar forms.

I believe this is our loss. There is so much we could learn about what
it means to be human from our suffering brothers and sisters.

The other problem with lovability is that to love is to make yourself
vulnerable to another person's reality. It is to open yourself up, not
only to their beauty but to their struggles and pain. It is to open
yourself up to the need to do something, to act.

The problems encountered by this group of people are complex, deeply
rooted and often a confusing mix of painful individual life stories
and systemic injustice. It is much easier to stamp them unlovable than
to tackle the actions love would require.

It seems important, though, to make this distinction. The people are
lovable, very lovable, but the challenge of loving them may seem too
great.

Natasha Laurence

Edmonton