Eric's Song

As someone who really liked Slumdog Millionaire, I've been keeping up with the news of what's been happening to the child actors who portrayed young Jamal, Salim, and Latika. A little research for yourself will show that the director and producers picked them up out of the slums of Mumbai, filmed them for the movie, and took them around Hollywood and Disneyland for the week of the Oscars. One week later, the kids are back in the corrugated tin shanties of Mumbai, going from the clean sheets of the Hilton to sleeping on the dirt floors again. There are some really sad details, like the fact that they stubbornly insist on wearing their Oscar night tuxedo and gown and that director Danny Boyle gave one of the boys a Nintendo DS that he won't be able to play after the batteries run out because he has no electricity.

It's an intriguing ethical scenario. (Should I feel bad for reducing their real-life dilemma to a case study?) The director and the producer compensated the kids for their work on the film, paid their tuition to a private school, and set up a large establishment fund to be released to them when they turn 18 and want to begin their adult careers. But the kids' paychecks for the film have already gone to pay for their parents' considerable medical expenses, and the interested public are aghast that these kids have been used to make millions for Slumdog Millionaire and subsequently returned to poverty. The director and producers are not trained social workers and have not become adoptive parents; they are specialists in the entertainment industry. How much responsibility have they accrued in hiring these kids? To their credit, they have also hired Indian social workers who have a better working knowledge and skill set to attend the case.

But I was struck by what the producer said about the situation. He said that the easiest thing for them would be to throw money at the problem, but that would not be the ethical approach.

I was driving up the Gold Star Highway a few days ago, and I passed a man standing in the esplanade, across from the Oh Boy! Diner, holding a sign that read, "Homeless, please help." I drove on, but it bothered me to pass him by, as it usually does to pass anyone like that by. It occurred to me that Jesus had the salvation of the world on His schedule and He took time for children and beggars. I had literally nothing to do that day. Was my time too important for this man?

I parked my car at Walmart and thought about it. I didn't want to just give him money: the expedient solution that would've annulled my guilt and let me go on with my day. What would be best for the man? Ask him. So I jogged across the highway and stuck out my hand and asked what his name was. And the man said Eric. I asked if he was hungry and if I could buy him lunch, and he said that he was, but if I was going to get him food, he asked that I bring it to him because his collecting money on the highway might literally be the difference between his having a roof over his head or not that night. Like I said, what else did I have to do that day that was more important? So I jogged over to Oh Boy! Diner, ordered a BLT and sweet potato fries to go, and brought it back to Eric.

I asked Eric where he was staying, and he replied that there was an elderly gentleman in Groton who was renting out his upstairs for $30 a night. Said that he had worked for over two decades at a machinery shop but came back after a weekend to find that the owners had closed the business and left for the Bahamas. Elaborated that every time he went to file for unemployment benefits, he was asked to show proof of prior employment and he couldn't manage to procure those documents. I asked Eric how much he made standing by the Gold Star Highway with a sign. It's a good question to ask because people always base their decision to give or not give on some impression that either homeless people don't get anything or they con hundreds of dollars a day off of hapless do-gooders. "It fluctuates wildly," Eric said. "Some days, I stand out here for four hours and end up with ten dollars, and some days, I stand out for two and end up with a hundred and fifty."

Eric only needed $4 more for the day, so I gave him the $3 I had in my wallet and wished him good luck. By the time I had jogged back over to the Walmart parking lot and pulled out to the turn, Eric had made his dollar and was gone. But another lady with another sign had already taken his place.

One of the lessons Jesus was really keen on was the relative unimportance of money. He preached against the hypocrisy and selfishness of the rich and lead a life of humility, simplicity, and service. It's true that He spent a lot of time helping the poor and disenfranchised, but if you step back, it's more true that He spent a lot of time helping the needy, rich or poor.

In a day-to-day sense, people like Eric need money to sustain themselves, but in an ultimate sense, they need to be known and loved. I am no Billy Dee Williams and Eric is no James Caan, but as best as I can write it, here is Eric's song.