(From a contributor)
I have walked the streets of Lancaster every morning for many years. Some may recognize me. The other day, a Saturday, I stopped by a local fast food restaurant. Used to seeing the “usual cast” of homeless, I was struck by a most unsettling sight. There was a new feature upon the human landscape.
More than likely, during the week they manage to blend in as seamlessly as they might. Once the weekend arrives they have no place to “be”! Two faces hit me, out of about a dozen of the same, neat and well groomed – perhaps 16 and 17 year olds never present before.
What was so striking was the blank, vacuous and unblinking stare from two teens, heads resting upon a collection of belongings, never been cast aside by the modern world before. Whether or not their parent(s) were among the gathered I could not ascertain. However, the depression in these two kid’s eyes was not the expressions of the “usuals”. These are kids; never having experienced their known world ripped away, waiting for breakfast at St. James.
The local media had a recent article on the subject of “displaced” within the public school system and their struggle academically; yet not mentioning the unspoken factor, socially never having been faced with poverty. I do hope the social welfare network of Lancaster County is up to this new challenge of our lifetime.
The social upheaval resulting from the disillusionment of these young people can only lead in a few directions – the worst being a continuing breakdown in the overall social fabric.
