PETERS: Less bullying, more empathy will go a long way toward a better Kamloops

It was a childish and petty act – bullying at best, criminal harassment or assault at worst.

It’s hard to fathom what prompts a person to see someone whose life is already hard and go out of his way to make it harder.

The local businessperson wasn’t caught on camera, acting out unsuspectedly. He recorded it and posted it for the world to see, apparently proud to show the community his actions.

We won’t give him the satisfaction of saying his name or posting images from the video.

We will describe his actions as petulant, juvenile and ultimately unhelpful toward improving life in our community.

It’s understandable that someone would see an encampment on the shoreline – or street-entrenched people anywhere in our community, for that matter – and feel frustration.

Imagine how frustrating it would be, then, to be a person in need of a helping hand up and receiving a punch down instead.

Certainly, there is plenty of blame to go around for the explosion in the interwoven issues of homelessness, untreated mental health and addiction, and street-level crime and disorder.

The finger of blame points toward governments, health organizations, social agencies, law enforcement, the business community – all could do more, all could work better together.

In some cases, individuals have made poor choices.

Should they be punished for those choices with a lifetime of pain and misery? Should those more fortunate in our community pile on with further humiliation?

Individual responsibility is a two-way street and a little compassion can go a long way.

Our community could be a whole lot better if our response to the situation on our streets flows from a place of empathy and patience rather than judgment and shame.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.

by James Peters

PETERS: Less bullying, more empathy will go a long way toward a better Kamloops

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