Why Do People Need Support

In class this past week we read the passages titled "On Dumpster Diving" by Lars Eighner and "From Serving In Florida" by Barbara Ehrenreich.  In both passages the authors were experiencing less than ideal living conditions.  In the first story, the author is homeless and living off of scavenging through the refuse left behind by other people.  In the second story, the author is working a hellish job at a diner in a cramped home and barely any free time.  Other than bad living conditions, another similarity that the two stories share is that both authors, previous to their downfall, were decently successful and were living and working in normal conditions.  Going from a successful life to experiencing many more hardships is a rough situation for anyone.  The question we must ask now is how do these people manage to get through these tough times? The solution we see in the passages is through a support system of people to talk to that can help you when needed.  In the case of Eighner, he had the support of his fellow scavengers who helped teach him how to survive by scavenging as well as the love and support of his dog.  Ehrenreich made friends with the fellow employees on her shift.  Ehrenreich's supprt group at the diner would "'bev' a table or even carry trays" for someone if they are felling ill, and they would "do their best to conceal her absence" from the manager if she needed to go on a bathroom break.  Without these support groups the authors of the two stories surely would have fared much worse than they actually do now.  Everyone in life experiences some sort of hardship, just with different severity.  Support groups are one of the best ways to deal with this and get through rougher times.  This is one of the reasons why many alcoholics and drug addicts go to support groups to try and get better and go clean.  It feels good to know that you're not alone and many others are experiencing the same as you and want to help you.  You never know the hardships someone is going through so you never know how one of your small actions of support may greatly impact someones day for the better.