I See Zombies
Are you aware that we have zombies all around us? Most of the time, you might think they are just like you or me. Don't be deceived.
I know a lot about zombies. They are dead to us, yet I see them every day at the edges of things—villages within cities, in no man's land and no woman's land too. They move quietly, trying to remain inconspicuous, and they rarely make eye contact.
Why?
Because they are often considered, at best, pests or vermin. We shake our heads in disgust and say, "They just need to get a job like I did."
Some panhandle. A few commit petty crimes. For the most part, many of us simply do not want to be bothered by them or reminded that they are people too.
They travel light, not by choice but because they have no choice. They own very little, and what little they possess is vulnerable to the elements, theft, wear, or simply becoming too burdensome to carry. Some have backpacks. Others have improvised carts or makeshift means of transporting and protecting their few belongings.
Shelters often allow residents to store their things there, but when they leave, their possessions are expected to leave as well. A hidden cache somewhere outside or some other precarious arrangement becomes necessary.
I once ran a transitional housing program. In addition to whatever they arrived with—sometimes nothing or next to nothing—eventually they had to move on. During their stay, however, almost all of them acquired more possessions: clothes, photographs, books, keepsakes, reminders that they existed and that someone, somewhere, had once cared.
Many clients, for one reason or another, left their belongings with me for safekeeping. About half of those possessions were never reclaimed.
To us, they become the living dead: neither here nor there, surviving within a small and difficult world defined by scarcity. Their lives shrink because their resources are so limited.
They remind me of the deer I see wandering through the city. They live at the margins, moving cautiously along the edges of the places where we conduct our lives.
But I have a secret.
Come closer and I will whisper it....
They are just like you and me, only trapped in a distressed in-between world.
They entered this world the same way we did. They were helpless infants. They were loved by someone. They learned to walk, to speak, to dream. They grew up and somehow made their way into adulthood.
Then something happened.
Something altered their trajectory.
Do not assume you are immune.
We live in strange times. We inherit the triumphs and failures of those who came before us. The ethos of the United States has shifted to the worship of capitalism. A game which unevenly distributes rewards. We live in a land where very little is free, despite our national mythology of freedom. The worse part? We are not doing enough. So now these are your freedoms when seen through the lens of economics:
You are free to become poor.
You are free to become abandoned.
You are free to need help.
You are free to experience crippling poverty.
Our stores overflow with food and consumer goods, but none of it is free. What little assistance exists is often viewed as charity undeserved, as though we are tossing scraps from our table and congratulating ourselves for our generosity.
The zombies I see are not monsters.
They are people we have stopped seeing.
Ostensibly we are a “religious” society. Actually I doubt the truth of that. Below are some quotes from some of the major religious traditions. In no particular order
Islam
"The example of those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah is like a seed of grain which grows seven ears; in every ear are a hundred grains. And Allah multiplies His reward for whom He wills."
— Qur'an 2:261
"And they give food, despite love for it, to the needy, the orphan, and the captive."
— Qur'an 76:8
"He is not a believer whose stomach is filled while his neighbor goes hungry."
— Hadith, attributed to the Prophet Muhammad
Buddhism
"If beings knew, as I know, the results of giving and sharing, they would not eat without having given."
— The Buddha, Itivuttaka 26
"Conquer the stingy with generosity."
— Dhammapada 223
"Just as a mother would protect her only child with her life, even so let one cultivate a boundless love toward all beings."
— Metta Sutta
Christianity
"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me."
— Matthew 25:35
"Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."
— Matthew 25:40
"If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and filled,' without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?"
— James 2:15–16
Judaism
"If there is among you anyone in need... do not harden your heart or shut your hand against your needy neighbor. Rather, open your hand willingly."
— Deuteronomy 15:7–8
"Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his deed."
— Proverbs 19:17
"The world stands on three things: on Torah, on worship, and on acts of loving-kindness."
— Pirkei Avot 1:2
"More than the householder does for the poor person, the poor person does for the householder."
— Leviticus Rabbah 34:8
Hinduism
"The one who cooks food for oneself alone eats sin."
— Bhagavad Gita 3:13 (paraphrased from the teaching that food offered and shared is sanctified, while selfish consumption is spiritually harmful)
"Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer or give away, do that as an offering to Me."
— Bhagavad Gita 9:27
"The gift given to one who can make no return, at the proper place and time, and to a worthy person, is considered a gift of goodness."
— Bhagavad Gita 17:20
"The world is one family."
— Maha Upanishad 6:72 (Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam)
"This is mine and that is yours is the thinking of the small-minded; for the noble-hearted, the whole world is one family."
— Maha Upanishad 6:72
The Hindu Ethical Perspective
"They alone live who live for others; the rest are more dead than alive."
"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."
Across Traditions Several themes emerge:
Dāna (charity) is considered a virtue and religious duty.
Seva (selfless service) is regarded as a path of spiritual growth.
The divine is present in every person (Atman reflecting Brahman), so serving others can be understood as serving God.
Giving should ideally be done without expectation of reward, recognition, or repayment.
A well-known modern expression of this idea comes from Swami Vivekananda:
Similarly, Mahatma Gandhi wrote:
Placed alongside the other traditions:
Islam emphasizes zakat and obligatory care for the needy.
Judaism teaches tzedakah, justice expressed through giving.
Christianity frames service to the poor as service to Christ himself.
Buddhism emphasizes compassion and generosity as paths to liberation.
Hinduism emphasizes dāna, seva, and seeing all beings as members of one family.
The convergence is striking: each tradition, despite very different theology and philosophy, treats care for the poor not merely as generosity but as an expression of what it means to be fully human.
Next post? Is Religion Dead
