What questions would you ask?

As my bus home made it's usual stops on Travis St. in Downtown Houston, I had the opportunity to observe a homeless man. He was probably in his 60's. Or, possibly just looked worn down in his 50's. His clothes tattered. His socks black on the bottom. His face unshaven. I watched as he picked up small pieces of paper, tore them into even smaller pieces, and threw them in a small cardboard box. During this exercise, he constantly talked to himself. I could only wonder what topics he was covering.

This made me think of some topics that I would like to discuss with him. Specifically, I have some questions:
1. What life events led you into this situation?
2. Did you live a society defined "normal" life at one time?
3. Do you have children? Don't you think they are worried about you?
4. Where is your family? Isn't there someone out there who is missing you?
5. Are you content with your life?
6. How long have you been homeless?

Nevertheless (is that a word?), I feel pretty certain that he is not the type to hold even a semi-intelligent conversation. I could be wrong. My questions will never be answered.

I stopped feeling sorry for the homeless years ago. That's not to say that I am now callous and uncaring about them. I have just found that most choose that lifestyle. Those that don't want to be homeless usually find a way out even if it does take some time in some instances. It seems that our world was created to have these variations in lifestyles. We, of course, label them as "classes." But, is it really a "class" when certain people choose to live a lifestyle which doesn't conform to the norm of society?

Tell me.. what questions would you ask?