Sometimes it’s difficult to get people to even try to understand what it’s like to be deaf. Lots of times, kids learn a little bit in school, when they are introduced to headphones that mask sound, or have a deaf person visit their class. Sometimes people will do experiments at home, plugging up their ears for a short time. The same is true for blindness– wearing masks, or blindfolds, or similar types of hooding materials that render them temporarily “blind.”

So often people who think they understand deafness and deaf people will be sympathetic, but very few can ever be empathetic. The same is true for those among us who live in poverty, or are homeless. Still, anyone who tries to understand, even with ulterior motives, should be applauded.

This week, in Nashville, Tennessee, some of the mayoral candidates were “homeless” for one night. While one night, or even a fraction thereof, does not change views and perspectives overnight, at least these men have a somewhat better understanding of what it’s like. I have no pretensions that these politicians will suddenly throw as much money and support as they can to homeless shelters , anti-poverty programs, and services for the disadvantaged, but even if it changes how they view such assistance and prompts them to think better of their fellow man, then it’s worth it.

It’s not the first time politicians have done this; even in Berkeley, California, long considered a haven for liberals and progressives, the mayor did the “homeless for a night” stint back in 2003. I’m not sure just how much the experience changed how he handled things after that, but it’s something I think *every* politician should do, at least once.

Some have opted to try another challenge many impoverished people face: living on food stamps. In April, Oregon’s governor Ted Kulongski tried to make it for a week on food stamps. Last month, four Congressional Representatives took the challenge, and I suspect, learned something in the process.

These representatives

…have pledged to live for one week on $21 worth of food, the amount the average food stamp recipient receives in federal assistance. That’s $3 a day or $1 a meal. They started yesterday.

The participants actually kept blogs, and posted entries about their experiences. You can see Congressman Tim Ryan’s (D- Ohio) blog here, and the musings of the other three here. It’s pretty sobering to realize that while these four could go back to their normal habits after a week that tens of thousands of Americans have a weekly food budget of $21. For those of us who have experienced being on food stamps or suffered poverty in any form, it’s not too surprising. For others, it may be a depressing new fact.

I’m not sure requiring every member of Congress to go homeless for one night would work, but I think everyone in Congress should definitely try living on a food-stamp budget. Everyone goes food shopping or has gone food shopping, and I think it’d really hit home for many of them if they tried living on $21 a week. It might not create a sense of empathy, but it just might increase the sympathy, as politicians come to a better understanding about how some members of our society live.

It’s a shame that we can “afford” to spend millions of dollars patrolling, bombing, and occupying a country halfway around the world, but we “can’t afford” to take care of the least among us. Just like individuals, nations are judged by their priorities. What does this say about us?