There he was, in a bus shelter drinking beer and smoking cigarettes. A bum on welfare, probably a homeless man, who had given up on finding a job and getting his life back on track. This was my immediate judgment when I first glanced at the man in the bus shelter. I thought I knew exactly who I was dealing with. But what if I was wrong?
I caught myself being extremely judgmental and biased. My subconscious had completely taken over my cognitive activity. That’s how it must be… right? Driven by curiosity, I decided to activate the more analytical parts of my brain. With a camera and a notebook, I approached the man in the shelter.
After an hour of pleasant conversation with Michael (62), who is an employed electrician with a nice home nearby, it became clear to me that my subconscious had made a cognitive misfire. My gut feeling had failed me, but fortunately, my conscious cognitive analysis stepped in and salvaged some of my dignity.
But how had I been led so astray? Was it the man’s relaxed posture on the bench in the bus shelter? Was it the canned beer and cigarettes? Was it his clothing or was it the full beard? It was probably a combination of everything. My brain’s processor really didn’t need much visual data to place Michael in the box of the destitute. Frightening. For how often do I otherwise go around misjudging people and situations that I otherwise believe I have completely decoded and understood?
The fact is, Michael has steady employment, but after decades of hard work, his knees are so worn out that he now works reduced hours. He lives alone in his apartment, where the loneliness often feels so overwhelming that he needs to get out on the street. Out where there’s life, where people are. Often, this longing translates into a couple of hours in the bus shelter, just below his apartment, accompanied by canned beer and cigarettes.
Michael says that he’s fine sitting there, all by himself, observing the life around him, but that a chat is also nice.
In various contexts, I often express that photography is about the encounter with the world out there, and with the world inside oneself. This story is a clear example of that. It’s also an example of how rewarding it can be to approach strangers and hear their stories. Even though it can be daunting, you’re almost never disappointed. And you almost always learn more about yourself.