Thursday, February 23, 2012
Act of Kindness or Not?
I have always struggled with this situation on whether or not it is an act of Kindness. When approached by someone that obviously has a drug or alcohol problem, perhaps homeless, that is begging for money, should I give them some money or not? Am I being kind to them when I am almost positive that they will use that money for their addiction? I know, initially, it will relieve their pain but when looking at the overall picture, am I not just adding to their problem? And how do you know for sure that they aren't going to use it for food? I would love to hear someone else's perspective on this.
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From an answer given to a person who asked the same question, there are a couple of answers: 1) your "job" is go give and what they do with the gift is not up to you. It's giving without attachment. 2) Offer the gift you want to give such as food or the cup of coffee. That way you will see what the person really wants.
ReplyDeleteHope that helps. It's a difficult question for sure.
To give is good but to me lack of money is just a small part of a much larger problem. Give a man a fish he eats for a day teach a man to fish he eats for a lifetime. What they really need is the right opportunity at the right time. The right time is when they are capable of capitalizing and sustaining the right opportunity. To truly help someone they need time, patience and hard work to get back on their feet. A person can only provide them with time and patience they have to be really willing to put in the hard work.
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