A former cabinet minister once infamously described the homeless as "the people you step over when you're coming out of the opera." As reprehensible a joke as it is, his words are about to be thrown back at him, or rather sung back, by the kind of people he once stepped over. This week, Streetwise Opera, a company made up of homeless and ex-homeless players, is set to perform at the Royal Opera House as part of the London 2012 Festival build up to the Olympic Games. And, according to its founder, it's the first time the homeless have been part of an Olympic Games and not been "overlooked, made unwelcome, or moved on." The salutary thing about this story is that the people you and I, or even ministers, might be "stepping over" almost certainly aren't who we think they are. The Streetwise Opera itself includes three ex-servicemen, an architect, two music teachers, or who for different reasons, found themselves without a home and on the street. The idea that the homeless are different to the likes of us is really a failure of imagination. It's also a very dangerous way of thinking. As the latest national statistics released in June show, the number of homeless in England has risen by almost 1/5 compared with the same period last year. Homelessness isn't something that happens to other people.
一位前内阁部长曾可耻地把无家可归的人形容成“被走出歌剧院的观众从身上跨过的人”。如今，这些人将对这一应受到谴责的玩笑予以还击，更准确地说，是以歌唱的方式予以回应。街头歌剧团由一群无家可归的人和曾经有此经历的人组成。它将参加为庆祝奥运会而举办的2012伦敦文化节，并定于本周在皇家歌剧院进行演出。据歌剧团的创建人称，这是无家可归的人第一次参与奥运会，而不是“被无视，受到冷眼，遭到驱逐”。此故事有益一面是告诉我们：被人们（你、我、甚至是部长们）从身上跨过的人很可能和我们想的不一样。街头歌剧团里有三名退役军人、一名建筑师、两名音乐教师，以及其他出于各种原因没有栖身之所，只能露宿街头的人。如果你认为无家可归的人和我们是两类人，这样的想象真是大错特错了。这也是一种非常危险的思考方式。正如最新的国家统计数据显示，英国无家可归的人数与去年同期相比增长了五分之一。无家可归不是一件离我们遥不可及的事情。
A few years ago, I stepped over someone lying in a stairwell in Piccadilly. I was so full of my own concerns, I didn't see a person, just an obstacle to get around. After walking about 50 yards I thought "what am I doing?" I went back and asked him what he needed. It wasn't a great question. It was minus three degrees. "A decent sleeping bag would be a start," he said. So I went to Lilywhites and got him a tog factor 12 bag. When I returned we talked and he told me he'd once been a soldier. What he really needed was to work again.
几年前，路过毕卡第利广场时，我从一个躺在楼梯井的人的身上跨了过去。当时我满怀心事，没有注意到那有人，把他当成路障跨了过去。走了50码后我才开始思考“我做了什么？”我折回去问他需要些什么。这并不是个明智的问题。当时的气温只有零下三度。“我想先要个像样的睡袋。”他说。于是我走到白百合，给他买了个12码的睡袋。我回到他那里和他聊天。他告诉我他曾经当过兵，现在最想能重新工作。
There's a story in Matthew's gospel that's always kept me guessing. It's both comfort to those in need and a warning to those who think they've got it sorted. It's the one where Jesus separates the sheep from the goats. And it suggests that eternal life isn't dependent on how religious we are, but whether we've actually fed the one who is hungry, invited the stranger into our house, or clothed the person in need of clothes. Because, He points out, if we are doing it to them, we are doing it to Him. The next time we pass someone in a stairwell, it's worth thinking about who we might be stepping over. They may well be homeless. They might also be an ex-soldier, a former teacher, or a future opera singer, but perhaps most crucially of all, they could be you. They could be me, or even God Himself.
《马太福音》中有一则故事一直让我对自己充满疑虑。它不仅安慰了需要帮助的人，也警醒了那些把人分门别类的人。这就是耶稣分辨绵羊与山羊的故事。它提示我们：永恒并不取决于我们有多么虔诚，而取决于我们是否使饥饿的人吃饱，使无家可归的人得栖身之所，使衣衫褴褛的人有衣穿。因为，耶稣指出，我们如何对待他人，就是在如何对待他。当下次在楼梯井经过某人的时候，我们非常有必要去思考被跨过去的会是谁。他们的确是无家可归的人。但他们也可能是退伍军人、曾经的教师或者是未来的歌剧演唱家。但也许最重要的是，他们可能是你，可能是我，甚至可能是上帝。
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