Max's Story

This is Max. I met him on the streets of Portland this afternoon when I stopped to buy a Street Roots from him. And we struck up a conversation. I learned that Max just about had enough money saved today to buy a new tent. His old one was destroyed last night in the wind and rain storm we had. I wanted to cry....

I thought of all the houseless people in their tents last night as I listened to the howling wind from the comfort of my home. And now here I was looking into Max’s eyes. And my eyes welled with tears as I told him that there should be no one who is without a home, that this is totally Not Okay. Max got teary too.

And then I asked him if I could take his picture and tell his story, or if he’d be okay with telling his story and I’d video him. Max agreed to speak and share this glimpse into his story....

Some may wonder why every single day I am relentlessly exposing and railing against the corporate media, corporate politicians, and the ideology of domination that has long infected our nation and the world with patriarchal, neoliberal, predatory capitalism. IT’S BECAUSE OF HUMAN BEINGS LIKE MAX.

Once we courageously open our eyes, minds, hearts, and souls to the suffering of humans, non-humans, and our Earth Mother — AND the root causes of this senseless suffering — then it becomes impossible to go on as though nothing is horribly, devastatingly wrong. This is WRONG! Max and the other 500,000 people who are houseless tonight in America SHOULD NOT BE HOUSELESS! No one should be living in this kind of hell.

Those of us who have the power to do something about this brutality and madness must learn how to stop being complicit with the capitalist system that has denied Max a home. We must dismantle the capitalist and poisonous belief systems that have taught us to look away, to numb our hearts, to deny the wisdom of our souls, and to even blame poverty on the poor.

WE MUST TALK ABOUT POVERTY! 40% of Americans live in poverty or one paycheck , illness, job loss, or other emergency away from poverty. And all this while we continue to believe that it’s okay for such extreme hoarding by the 3 people who own half as much wealth as half the country to occur. And that’s just one glimpse into the impact of this brutal domination ideology that we’ve been indoctrinated into believing is normal. IT IS NOT NORMAL! IT IS NOT OKAY!!

Yes, I go on and on about supporting Bernie Sanders — who is the one presidential candidate who is not a capitalist — and being part of the movement to dismantle the neoliberal capitalist system that is destroying lives and killing the planet. Why do I do this? — It’s because of Max. It’s because of our children and 5 tiny grandchildren and all children everywhere. It’s because of the rape of our Earth. It’s because of the melting glaciers and the species that went extinct today. It’s because of endless wars and crushing poverty and immoral inequality and the climate crisis that may kill us all. And so much more.

We’re all needed. We all need to be voices for Max and dying animals and all who suffer. Please, let us unite to end this madness, this death spiral that we’ve long been in and have been conditioned to believe is normal and the only way. THAT IS A LIE!

Another world is possible! And it’s up to us! Never before has it been this important for us to be part of the Loving Revolution that’s emerging. Let us all inspire ourselves and others to be Love Warriors — to work together to alleviate our suffering and that of all beings. The Max’s of the world matter. We all matter.

I told Max that I would share his story. So here you have it, a story about this one human being and, because we are all connected, this story reverberates as a message for all who suffer. May we care about this suffering. May we care deeply. May our hearts break open. Please. 🙏 Molly