I think I'm more apt to talk to people because of things like that. To know that whatever else the person on the street may be, he/she is still someone who deserves to be seen is a lesson I've learned from my work. The hospital I work at is in the downtown area, and we get a lot of people who live in the Downtown East Side, a very poor area with lots of homeless folks. We've had homeless people come into our ICU with drug overdoses,and pneumonia etc; and the thing that I've noticed is that even the most seemingly down and out person still has family or friends who care about them; it might be a pretty dysfunctional relationship, but they matter as a person to someone. This has taught me not to be so judgmental, because underneath the beggar on the street, sometimes there is someone who just wants to be acknowledged as a human being.
I hope that doesn't sound preachy..it's been quite humbling to me to have some of my prejudices shown to me.