This article is by my son and black belt instructor Julio D. Anta
Humility Now
My name is Julio Anta, I’m nineteen years old, and I believe that our lives, like any good story, require elements of plot, conflict, triumph, and devotion, to name a few. It requires goals, and a character who fights for something larger than himself. It requires an inciting incident: An event that stirs the plot and calls the character to action.
For me, that inciting incident was befriending a few homeless guys in Downtown Miami, and deciding to join them in their lifestyle. With the company of three friends, on the night of October 16th, we began what was anticipated to be a weekend of voluntary homelessness. To feel what they feel. Everything from the heat to the hunger. The humiliation of being ignored, and the freedom of truly trusting God to meet our needs. Setting out close to midnight, Friday night, we found cardboard and decided to set-up shop directly in front of Downtown Miami’s most popular clubs. With our make-shift beds, we laid down, and experienced the most degrading, insulting, and threatening looks some of us have ever experienced. Looks of pride, and arrogance were pressed down on us, and a new level of understanding was forced on a previously naive paradigm. Nearly thirty minutes later, a set of Police officers, probably sent by club owners, asked us to leave and find a new spot to spend the night.
This was just one example of the prejudice and injustice experienced during our time homeless. By the end of it though, we came to the conclusion that we will never know what it truly feels to be without a home. The pain that doesn’t know when it’s next meal will come, and when it will once again sleep on a bed. We had a timeline. We knew that come Sunday morning, we would be going back to our comfortable lives.
That’s when we decided to stop pretending and start doing something with our experience. Thus, Humility Now was born. Based on the idea that true humility counts others more significant than themselves, this non-profit organization would be more than just a soapbox to rant about the injustice of poverty. Instead it would be a vehicle used to mobilize those like-minded individuals who are tired of talking and ready to get their hands dirty. To encourage others to put everything they think they know about the beggars, homeless, and panhandlers aside, and get to know them. Hear their stories, and tell a few of their own. No one can single-handedly solve homelessness, but what we can do is bring hope. We believe in being a light in one of the most desperate of situations found in this country, and stand beside the hurting, in solidarity, like a real family would.
The first of these opportunities will be our inaugural Homeless BBQ / Clothing drive on Thanksgiving morning (11/26) in Downtown Miami. At the parking lot on NE 8 ST & NE 2 AVE, a block west from the American Airlines Arena, hamburgers and hotdogs will be served and clothing will be distributed to the homeless. With a loving attitude and caring heart, we invite you to meet those hurt worse by the recession, bring your extra clothes, and make a few new friends. You’ll quickly come to realize you have more in common than you think.
Julio D Anta is the founder of Humility Now. For more information, or for opportunities to volunteer, email him at info@humilitynow.com, or visit their website at www.humilitynow.com. If you would like to donate frozen hamburgers, hotdogs, buns, or clothing, Anta’s Fitness at 10721 NW 58 ST. Doral, 305 599-3649, will serve as a drop-off point throughout the month.
Also checkout Marial Pulgar's article on Humility Now http://www.examiner.com/x-26917-Miami-StayatHome-Moms-Examiner~y2009m11d22-Humility-Now-taking-care-of-those-in-need-this-Thanksgiving-Day-in-Miami
The distinction between the spiritual and the religious became more common in the popular mind during the late 20th century with the rise of secularism and the advent of the New Age movement.
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