A former cabinet minister once infamously described the homeless as "the people you step over when you're coming out of the opera." As reprehensible a joke as it is, his words are about to be thrown back at him, or rather sung back, by the kind of people he once stepped over. This week, Streetwise Opera, a company made up of homeless and ex-homeless players, is set to perform at the Royal Opera House as part of the London 2012 Festival build up to the Olympic Games. And, according to its founder, it's the first time the homeless have been part of an Olympic Games and not been "overlooked, made unwelcome, or moved on." The salutary thing about this story is that the people you and I, or even ministers, might be "stepping over" almost certainly aren't who we think they are. The Streetwise Opera itself includes three ex-servicemen, an architect, two music teachers, or who for different reasons, found themselves without a home and on the street. The idea that the homeless are different to the likes of us is really a failure of imagination. It's also a very dangerous way of thinking. As the latest national statistics released in June show, the number of homeless in England has risen by almost 1/5 compared with the same period last year. Homelessness isn't something that happens to other people.
一位前內閣部長曾可恥地把無家可歸的人形容成“被走出歌劇院的觀眾從身上跨過的人”。如今，這些人將對這一應受到譴責的玩笑予以還擊，更準確地說，是以歌唱的方式予以回應。街頭歌劇團由一群無家可歸的人和曾經有此經歷的人組成。它將參加為慶祝奧運會而舉辦的2012倫敦文化節，并定于本周在皇家歌劇院進行演出。據歌劇團的創建人稱，這是無家可歸的人第一次參與奧運會，而不是“被無視，受到冷眼，遭到驅逐”。此故事有益一面是告訴我們：被人們（你、我、甚至是部長們）從身上跨過的人很可能和我們想的不一樣。街頭歌劇團里有三名退役軍人、一名建筑師、兩名音樂教師，以及其他出于各種原因沒有棲身之所，只能露宿街頭的人。如果你認為無家可歸的人和我們是兩類人，這樣的想象真是大錯特錯了。這也是一種非常危險的思考方式。正如最新的國家統計數據顯示，英國無家可歸的人數與去年同期相比增長了五分之一。無家可歸不是一件離我們遙不可及的事情。
A few years ago, I stepped over someone lying in a stairwell in Piccadilly. I was so full of my own concerns, I didn't see a person, just an obstacle to get around. After walking about 50 yards I thought "what am I doing?" I went back and asked him what he needed. It wasn't a great question. It was minus three degrees. "A decent sleeping bag would be a start," he said. So I went to Lilywhites and got him a tog factor 12 bag. When I returned we talked and he told me he'd once been a soldier. What he really needed was to work again.
幾年前，路過畢卡第利廣場時，我從一個躺在樓梯井的人的身上跨了過去。當時我滿懷心事，沒有注意到那有人，把他當成路障跨了過去。走了50碼后我才開始思考“我做了什么？”我折回去問他需要些什么。這并不是個明智的問題。當時的氣溫只有零下三度。“我想先要個像樣的睡袋。”他說。于是我走到白百合，給他買了個12碼的睡袋。我回到他那里和他聊天。他告訴我他曾經當過兵，現在最想能重新工作。
There's a story in Matthew's gospel that's always kept me guessing. It's both comfort to those in need and a warning to those who think they've got it sorted. It's the one where Jesus separates the sheep from the goats. And it suggests that eternal life isn't dependent on how religious we are, but whether we've actually fed the one who is hungry, invited the stranger into our house, or clothed the person in need of clothes. Because, He points out, if we are doing it to them, we are doing it to Him. The next time we pass someone in a stairwell, it's worth thinking about who we might be stepping over. They may well be homeless. They might also be an ex-soldier, a former teacher, or a future opera singer, but perhaps most crucially of all, they could be you. They could be me, or even God Himself.
《馬太福音》中有一則故事一直讓我對自己充滿疑慮。它不僅安慰了需要幫助的人，也警醒了那些把人分門別類的人。這就是耶穌分辨綿羊與山羊的故事。它提示我們：永恒并不取決于我們有多么虔誠，而取決于我們是否使饑餓的人吃飽，使無家可歸的人得棲身之所，使衣衫襤褸的人有衣穿。因為，耶穌指出，我們如何對待他人，就是在如何對待他。當下次在樓梯井經過某人的時候，我們非常有必要去思考被跨過去的會是誰。他們的確是無家可歸的人。但他們也可能是退伍軍人、曾經的教師或者是未來的歌劇演唱家。但也許最重要的是，他們可能是你，可能是我，甚至可能是上帝。
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