A rumble erupts from my stomach. God I'm starving, I thought. Oh, right... I only ate once today.
I glance down at my computer clock. 1:00 A.M.
It's late. I'll just sleep the hunger off.
No use. My stomach groans again. The hunger is painful. Crap... I wonder if I have any snacks.
I open my bedroom door and am welcomed by complete silence. My entire family's asleep. I silently head towards the kitchen. I spot my cousin asleep on the sofa in the living room, which is directly beside the kitchen. Better not turn on the lights.
I walk to the fridge and sneak it open.
Hm... anything to snack on? Nope, nothing. With the refrigerator light dimly illuminating the area around me, I search the cupboards for snacks.
Anything? Nothing.
Crap, we needa go grocery shopping. I look over my shoulder, and I'm overcome with a sigh. Better not cook... don't wanna wake him up. I close the refrigerator door and head back to my room.
Whatever, I'll tough this out. No problem.
But it was a problem. The hunger was excruciating.
Ah... guess I'll just go and buy some food. I grab my wallet and look inside. No cash on hand.
Damn. I'll just use my card. I haven't eaten out in a while and I just finished midterms. I deserve a decent meal, I persuaded myself.
I slip my wallet and my cell into my pockets and grab my keys. Like a ninja I sneak out of the house without a peep (okay, maybe a little peep).
A sharp wind blows across my figure. Oh man it's cold. It was a chilly autumn night, and I forgot to bring along a sweater.
I'm an idiot. Whatever. I can handle this.
I slip into my car and start it up. Brrr. Without a second thought I turn on the heater. The sudden burst of cold air hit my body like a block of ice.
It's okay. It'll get warm soon enough.
And that it did. I turn on my music and drive towards Denny's. It was closest.
The streets were empty. Driving around this late at night always felt peculiar, but at the same time, relaxing. I felt like the only inhabitant in the world. I felt at peace with myself.
I arrive at Denny's and immediately find a parking spot. So much for being alone; the Denny's was full of people. Not an unusual sight, though.
I park, slip out of my car and lock the door behind me. Ugh, still cold.
Well, duh.
I make my way towards the front door of Denny's before I'm stopped by a voice. It came from my left. I look over and I spot a homeless man.
"Hey, can you spare some change?"
"Sorry, I don't have cash on me."
I continue on my way towards the door and enter the establishment. Immediately I'm greeted by a voice.
"Hi! For one?"
"Oh, can I just get a menu and order to go?"
"Sure!" The waiter hands me a menu and I take a seat. What to get? I was starving and everything looked delicious. I eventually make up my mind and order.
Less than ten minutes go by before my order is ready. I walk up to the cash register ready to pay. Before I can pay I'm enveloped with guilt. I take a glance over my shoulder.
He's still there. And he looked freezing.
I revert my gaze back towards the waiter.
"Oh, sorry, can I get a hot chocolate also?"
"Sure!" He quickly prepares it and hands it to me. I thank him with a smile and pay for my order before slipping out and heading towards the homeless man.
"Excuse me. Sir? Have this." I extend my arm out to him with my fingers wrapped around the warm cup of hot chocolate. The man looks at me and pauses, full of surprise. He slowly reaches his hands out towards the cup before relieving it from my grasp.
"Thank you! Thank you so much! God bless you!" Spit squirts from his mouth and onto his lips.
"Oh, you're welcome." I faintly smile.
"Thank you so much!" He repeats. His emotions pour out, and his uncleaned face distorts. Tears escape his eyes and paint his cheeks. His lips curl into a slightly open smile, revealing his crooked yellow teeth. He was not sobbing; he was bawling. My heart shatters.
"God bless you." I'm barely able to utter the words before turning my back to him. I head back to my car and slide inside. I keep my vision away from the man, for fear that the very sight of him may break me down. I rush home in due haste.
I step into my bedroom without turning on the lights and place the bag of food beside my desk before situating myself onto my chair. As the fragrance of a nice warm meal filled the air, so did regret.
I should have given it all to him.
My elbows rest upon my desk as I bury my face within my palms. Tears come forth but are trapped within the pockets of my eyes. The image of the man's expression plays over and over within my mind. I have never seen such beautiful tears, nor such a wonderful smile.
That was one of the best reads I've had in the blogs section in a long time. Quite well-written, too. I've found new respect for you. Though your comment "I HATE RAP" in tladt irc still strikes me as prejudiced.
I applaud your generosity. I might not have helped at all.
Nice story, feels like reading a novel . It's true that you could've given him all, but at least you did something good not usually done by others. Don't be too guilty. + Show Spoiler +
You should have given him all but that's not your choice. You could've gotten sick if you let that hunger sit there longer.GJ
I don't spare anything with homeless for a very simple reason. I don't know what it is like in the USA, but in Germany you don't have to be homeless unless you want to, you can get a small apartment and everything, the government is paying for you, those who live on the street here decided it by themselves, so it's their own choice to not have a warm home and have their own food.
Reminds me of a couple weeks ago, when I went to the mall to buy a soda to watch movies with a friend, and some guy comes to us and says:
"Hey guys, I'm not going to ask for money, I'd just like to ask if you could buy some milk and orange juice for my baby girl."
We answered "Okay.". At first, it was just to get rid of him, because he really looked like someone who would cause trouble if we had said no.
But then we just bought his stuff (and while paying for the milk I realised how much my dad rox, for providing that to me and my brothers for so many years, because that thing was really expensive, man. We ended up spending like 6x more with his stuff than with the soda).
And when we gave it to him we saw he was thankful, that was a nice feeling. Too bad it came with the same feeling of "I wish I had done this because I felt like doing it, instead of doing by fear of getting robbed".
But then my friend and I convinced ourselves that we couldn't really know what he was up to, our neighborhood is the most violent in the city, and we were alone in a really dark parking lot.
About the money and homeless guys, yes they'll usually spend it on drugs and alcohol. So even if you buy them food, in a way you're supporting this - they're not hungry, the next money they'll get will be totally going on alcohol or drugs. The bottom line is you can't really do anything, unless you're a part of some organizations dealing with these kinds of people, helping them to get motivated etc. That's my opinion. It might as well be just an easy way out, but I think it's true, what do you guys think? As long as the guy is not going to freeze the following night, any help of this kind is useless.
You left out the most important details... What exactly did you order?
Also, what are you studying? Maybe you can dedicate your career to helping the homeless, like being an entrepreneur and setting up some shelter if you really feel that guilty.
Dude I've gone through this type of thing. A couple months ago there was a homeless lady on the side of the rode and I pulled back to give her my breakfast(just a yogurt and orange juice). I cried the rest of the way to work just because it was such a hard and emotional experience. Honestly I'll never forget her face... once of the prettiest, warmest faces I've seen.
About the money and homeless guys, yes they'll usually spend it on drugs and alcohol. So even if you buy them food, in a way you're supporting this - they're not hungry, the next money they'll get will be totally going on alcohol or drugs.
Disgusting. Even if they do spend their money on drugs/alcohol, they don't deserve to eat? If you don't want to buy them food, don't. And if you want to warn people about giving cash to them, thats one thing. But PLEASE, don't go around trying to convince people to stop buying meals or donating food.
On April 26 2011 22:09 LML wrote: I don't spare anything with homeless for a very simple reason. I don't know what it is like in the USA, but in Germany you don't have to be homeless unless you want to, you can get a small apartment and everything, the government is paying for you, those who live on the street here decided it by themselves, so it's their own choice to not have a warm home and have their own food.
On April 26 2011 22:09 LML wrote: I don't spare anything with homeless for a very simple reason. I don't know what it is like in the USA, but in Germany you don't have to be homeless unless you want to, you can get a small apartment and everything, the government is paying for you, those who live on the street here decided it by themselves, so it's their own choice to not have a warm home and have their own food.
here in the US we dont have welfare THAT good...
In Germany there are actually a couple of people who slip through the cracks of the system and don't get welfare. But yeah, in most cases you can just go to the social security office (don't know the correct term) and they'll take care of most of your issues. In my experience most homeless people here have some kind of mental problems (maybe they become like that after years of living on the street) which keep them from reaching out to the government for help. Anyways, it was a very generous thing you did there OP. Props to you, man! And I kinda know how you feel. The misery of others is so depressing.
You are a great writer imo. I feel like people refuse to recognize that the ethical thing to do in most situations like this is help the person out. Usually people try and rationalize around helping the person.
On April 26 2011 23:10 Stratoss wrote: About the money and homeless guys, yes they'll usually spend it on drugs and alcohol. So even if you buy them food, in a way you're supporting this - they're not hungry, the next money they'll get will be totally going on alcohol or drugs. The bottom line is you can't really do anything, unless you're a part of some organizations dealing with these kinds of people, helping them to get motivated etc. That's my opinion. It might as well be just an easy way out, but I think it's true, what do you guys think? As long as the guy is not going to freeze the following night, any help of this kind is useless.
...I don't think its correct to say that because someone is an addict, feeding them is supporting their lifestyle and that they aren't actually hungry.......I think giving a homeless person food and compassion is a great way to help them.
On April 26 2011 23:10 Stratoss wrote: About the money and homeless guys, yes they'll usually spend it on drugs and alcohol. So even if you buy them food, in a way you're supporting this - they're not hungry, the next money they'll get will be totally going on alcohol or drugs. The bottom line is you can't really do anything, unless you're a part of some organizations dealing with these kinds of people, helping them to get motivated etc. That's my opinion. It might as well be just an easy way out, but I think it's true, what do you guys think? As long as the guy is not going to freeze the following night, any help of this kind is useless.
I think you are wrong, if everyone gave them food how do they get drugs and alcohol? Souma did a good thing and it's not useless as long as the next guy goes about it the same way.
HwangjaeTerran - yeah. If everyone gave them food.. well there are always a lot of IFs. Unfortunately the world doesn't work that way. Not to mention that they could just exchange food for drugs if it comes to it.
Also Laertis, I feel you man, I used to give money to the homeless and occasionaly I still do. But I thought about it for some time, read a few articles here and there, had a few discussions and I came to think that the best thing you can do is a] cheer them up somehow, motivate them, talk to them b] join an organization that can trully help them c] ignore them.
Doing a good thing doesn't necessarily mean doing something helpful. Take famine problems in Africa for example. Imagine a lonely village somewhere in the wild. Just giving a lot of food can sometime be a good thing, but without further support it may actually become a bad thing. Give some food to the weakest, eventually they get a lot of children and then when the food runs out, you get a lot of unnecessary pain and deaths. When instead, building a new road for them to get better access to the food everyday for the next like 200 years may be a good thing also and may never go wrong. It's perhaps a stupid example, but I'm just trying to make clear what my point is.
These things are very difficult matters, if they weren't they would be solved by now. Sometimes you even have to admit that there's actually nothing you can do and that doing nothing IS the best way. How do you get people motivated to get some money on their own if they keep surviving with the help of others? How do you get that wildest instinct inside of them working if they know they'll just make it somehow because of the generosity of other people? It's just way more complicated than it seems and it's good to take that into account. I don't say my approach is the best, but it's always better to try and see things in a greater perspective.
Certainly giving a homeless guy a hot chocollate or something to eat is way better than giving them money. Still it doesn't mean it's a good thing to do, IMO. Sorry, just my opinion.
On April 26 2011 23:10 Stratoss wrote: About the money and homeless guys, yes they'll usually spend it on drugs and alcohol. So even if you buy them food, in a way you're supporting this - they're not hungry, the next money they'll get will be totally going on alcohol or drugs. The bottom line is you can't really do anything, unless you're a part of some organizations dealing with these kinds of people, helping them to get motivated etc. That's my opinion. It might as well be just an easy way out, but I think it's true, what do you guys think? As long as the guy is not going to freeze the following night, any help of this kind is useless.
Yea dude this kinda makes you look like a horribly insensitive person. Did you read the fucking story? Did you read how happy the homeless guy was? Bringing that much joy to ANY person with a very simple action should never be avoided. He lives on the streets, you don't think he deserves anything because of that? If anything he deserves more stuff. I could go on and on but other people will handle that.
On April 27 2011 01:11 Stratoss wrote: HwangjaeTerran - yeah. If everyone gave them food.. well there are always a lot of IFs. Unfortunately the world doesn't work that way. Not to mention that they could just exchange food for drugs if it comes to it.
Also Laertis, I feel you man, I used to give money to the homeless and occasionaly I still do. But I thought about it for some time, read a few articles here and there, had a few discussions and I came to think that the best thing you can do is a] cheer them up somehow, motivate them, talk to them b] join an organization that can trully help them c] ignore them.
Doing a good thing doesn't necessarily mean doing something helpful. Take famine problems in Africa for example. Imagine a lonely village somewhere in the wild. Just giving a lot of food can sometime be a good thing, but without further support it may actually become a bad thing. Give some food to the weakest, eventually they get a lot of children and then when the food runs out, you get a lot of unnecessary pain and deaths. When instead, building a new road for them to get better access to the food everyday for the next like 200 years may be a good thing also and may never go wrong. It's perhaps a stupid example, but I'm just trying to make clear what my point is.
These things are very difficult matters, if they weren't they would be solved by now. Sometimes you even have to admit that there's actually nothing you can do and that doing nothing IS the best way. How do you get people motivated to get some money on their own if they keep surviving with the help of others? How do you get that wildest instinct inside of them working if they know they'll just make it somehow because of the generosity of other people? It's just way more complicated than it seems and it's good to take that into account. I don't say my approach is the best, but it's always better to try and see things in a greater perspective.
Certainly giving a homeless guy a hot chocollate or something to eat is way better than giving them money. Still it doesn't mean it's a good thing to do, IMO. Sorry, just my opinion.
I think a lot of homeless people don't have the means to get motivated to work towards a "better" life.
The problem is that their is a very wide range of different types of homeless people, some with mental disorders, some addicts, and some people like you described, they just mooch off the generosity of others.
So yea, your strategy of dealing with homeless people is fine for people that are just taking advantage of others, but what about the ones that can't change their position.
Yeah I read the fucking story. Also it's so great that he's now so happy that he's homeless and can go on like that for another few years until he's dead, living a pointless life. Sometimes being insensitive means saving someone's life or even making them happy in the long run. Sometimes you have to be hard on your kids, or your loved ones. You can either accept that or keep doing that your way. But if he's still homeless, I guess it's not really working.
There are facilities (at least in our country) where they get to eat and wash everyday. They just don't go there because other people can do that for them and they don't have to "waste their time" with someone that can actually help them. If you don't give them the support, they have to go there and there's some hope for them to get better.
On April 26 2011 23:10 Stratoss wrote: About the money and homeless guys, yes they'll usually spend it on drugs and alcohol. So even if you buy them food, in a way you're supporting this - they're not hungry, the next money they'll get will be totally going on alcohol or drugs. The bottom line is you can't really do anything, unless you're a part of some organizations dealing with these kinds of people, helping them to get motivated etc. That's my opinion. It might as well be just an easy way out, but I think it's true, what do you guys think? As long as the guy is not going to freeze the following night, any help of this kind is useless.
ah yes, because that dude will never be hungry again after that!!
On April 26 2011 23:10 Stratoss wrote: About the money and homeless guys, yes they'll usually spend it on drugs and alcohol. So even if you buy them food, in a way you're supporting this - they're not hungry, the next money they'll get will be totally going on alcohol or drugs. The bottom line is you can't really do anything, unless you're a part of some organizations dealing with these kinds of people, helping them to get motivated etc. That's my opinion. It might as well be just an easy way out, but I think it's true, what do you guys think? As long as the guy is not going to freeze the following night, any help of this kind is useless.
ah yes, because that dude will never be hungry again after that!!
I don't know about the US, but like I said, in my country there are facilities where they will get a shower and a meal for free every day. All they have to do is cooperate a little.
On April 26 2011 23:10 Stratoss wrote: About the money and homeless guys, yes they'll usually spend it on drugs and alcohol. So even if you buy them food, in a way you're supporting this - they're not hungry, the next money they'll get will be totally going on alcohol or drugs. The bottom line is you can't really do anything, unless you're a part of some organizations dealing with these kinds of people, helping them to get motivated etc. That's my opinion. It might as well be just an easy way out, but I think it's true, what do you guys think? As long as the guy is not going to freeze the following night, any help of this kind is useless.
ah yes, because that dude will never be hungry again after that!!
I don't know about the US, but like I said, in my country there are facilities where they will get a shower and a meal for free every day. All they have to do is cooperate a little.
And find a way there. Those facilities are not on every corner, and not every homeless person squats near by those things. And it's kind of hard getting around without a car or money.
Believe it or not they have to live near a society since they're basically living off of it. Sure, they can't go there by public means of transport - the police can't do anything about them and if they arrest them they even have to get them something to eat! (Again, our country). Your arguments seem pretty vague to me. They don't have a car. What the? This, more than anything, is about working with the people. And giving them hot chocolatte as nice as it sounds, isn't going to help a bit in this regard. Don't you agree?
Near society in no way means near a homeless shelter, you dolt. That holds true even in New York City, which is a huge city with lots of shelters. A smaller city of something like 100,000 is only going to have a few shelters covering a lot of land and not everyone is going to live within a reasoanble distance of a shelter
it doesn't hurt to use your head, I swear
it's nourishment for a person without food or money. Are you kidding me??
On April 27 2011 03:07 Hawk wrote: and not everyone is going to live within a reasoanble distance of a shelter
No they're not, not unless you keep feeding them yourself. Either they can live somewhere out with your support or near the shelter with the support of people that are trained to help them. I am sorry for not using my brain. I do not like the tone of this discussion any more so I will leave now. I didn't meant to make this thread uncomfortable, I just wanted to throw in an opinion on two on how to help these people better. Feeding such people is a gentle act of a kind soul, but it might not always be a good thing for the people in the long run. That's my message. Everyone treat it as they like. Again, sorry for the corrupting the thread in this fashion. Also happy birthday dude :-)
Great story, I really do wish there were people whod do kind things for needy people more often.
I would like to say something though. From my personal experiences from living in Berkeley and seeing homeless people on a frequent basis, I just want to say that you will probably not get this kind of gratefulness for kind deeds most of the time. I've talked with several homeless people (most of them are pretty nice), and they say they get enough to eat on most days, so getting food and some spare change is really something taken for granted for by most of the homeless in Berkeley. Now I'm sure this is different because this is near a big campus and is full of the bustle and leftover food from students, but my point is that the kind of homeless people that really need generosity are the ones that are regarded as "scary", usually due to bitterness or mental illness or a combination of both, and these people will often not express or possess the capacity to express gratitude for random acts of kindness (i dont blame them, im sure they deal with a lot of shit from people every day). When I was the naive freshman who came here from a suburban environment where there was virtually no homelessness, I thought I'd be heartfully thanked for the random acts of kindness I was planning to carry out to help those who are not as well off as I am (I do think im a pretty nice guy). Sometimes this does happen, but often it does not. I realized that the attitude I had came from good intentions, but were also pretentious. So the lesson I learned is that you shouldn't help others with the expectation of getting thanked in return, but be satisfied just knowing you made their life better in some little way regardless of how they respond to you.
I'm spending a good amount of time in Copenhagen these days, and often homeless people will come into the trains that go around the Copenhagen area and ask for money (some for housing or job opportunities). Normally they do this at stops, getting in and out before the train leaves the station. Even though they're quite good at doing it non-intrusively by now, it's still tough on people in the trains, often being confronted by the desperate needs of others. I have sometimes encountered the same homeless people several times in one day. And like all the people on the main street trying to recruit you for Amnesty International or UNICEF (why are also becoming better at avoiding bothering people, making their interruption of your walk more natural and enjoyable, not approaching without eye contact, exchange niceties, hugs, handshakes when appropriate, etc.), I'm sure many people will consider them a nuisance.
I'm sure I end up spending at least 100$ a month on homeless while in Copenhagen. Earlier I was pre-disposed to saying no if any homeless people asked for money (being under the impression that anyone could get financial support in Denmark, meaning begging was only necessary if you did drugs, meaning that giving them money would only prolong their unfortunate situation), but I cannot say no to people who ask me for help. So, as it is, when people just ask generally in a compartment or are just out in the street playing music or something, I rarely give them anything, but if people ask me specifically, I give what coins I have around half of the time.
Other homeless sell a newspaper called "Hus Forbi", and that works out much better. They pay 10 DKK for the newspapers and sell them for 20 DKK, so they are eager to sell them, but they do not approach people aggressively (the stack of newspapers providing a barrier between them and the people passing by), mostly staying in one place. And the newspaper is actually quite good; it focuses mainly on the situation of homeless people, but also other marginalized or vulnerable groups in society, having lots of good stories, in-depth commentary and expert assessments. It's a great way for people in a bad situation to get a platform to interact with others and keep a sense of responsibility and dignity by doing something of some significance. I the newspaper is done in monthly editions. According to the sales numbers, 350.000 people read each edition (which is more than half of the biggest newspaper), but since some people buy the newspaper several times, the number is likely to be around 200.000.
I do think that the gesture of food or drinks, while generally slightly less useful to the homeless (as they do not have a choice in what to receive), will mean more than giving them money. It's more of a gesture (visibly so; but also requiring more thought, care or effort) and more tangible. Whereas giving money seems more impersonal. And since money is often being of immediately of use, it will be felt differently as well. The situation you describe would seem to precisely dictate this course of action, where your contribution will be a major help. However, I rarely meet homeless people who are so far out that I would need to give them food or drink (at least not while I had the chance of getting any). Probably because homeless in Denmark are better off ...
I think an interesting thought when you relate the notion of charity to the notion of kindness is how this thinking impacts our society as a whole. I encountered an interesting video the other day; "First as Tragedy, Then as Farce". It describes how current capitalistic systems serve to keep a status quo in regards to homeless and poor, creating an unhealthy self-reinforcing pattern in distribution of wealth and roles in society. Nothing mind-shattering, and no solutions provided, but does throw a few interesting concepts into the fray.
On April 27 2011 08:27 Asjo wrote: Other homeless sell a newspaper called "Hus Forbi", and that works out much better. They pay 10 DKK for the newspapers and sell them for 20 DKK, so they are eager to sell them, but they do not approach people aggressively (the stack of newspapers providing a barrier between them and the people passing by), mostly staying in one place. And the newspaper is actually quite good; it focuses mainly on the situation of homeless people, but also other marginalized or vulnerable groups in society, having lots of good stories, in-depth commentary and expert assessments. It's a great way for people in a bad situation to get a platform to interact with others and keep a sense of responsibility and dignity by doing something of some significance. I the newspaper is done in monthly editions. According to the sales numbers, 350.000 people read each edition (which is more than half of the biggest newspaper), but since some people buy the newspaper several times, the number is likely to be around 200.000.
We have a paper like that in Washington DC. The paper is called "Street Sense" and it is mainly focused on homelessness related issues and awareness (with a small spattering of other pieces as well). Programs like these are amazing, but they really need more widespread support. When I worked in DC I knew my local vendor and it was always fun taking a moment to talk with him.
Thanks, everyone. And thanks to those sharing their own personal experiences. I always like to read about how other people act when they're in similar situations.
On April 26 2011 18:41 wussleeQ wrote: Nice story. I wish I was as descriptive as you D: If you did do this then Good job! doing these types of things always makes me feel good too!
It actually made me feel pretty bad for not giving him my food. The memory of that homeless man has actually caused me to try and reach out more. I have never in my life witnessed such gratitude, and it just made me hate myself for not doing more.
On April 26 2011 18:50 EchOne wrote: That was one of the best reads I've had in the blogs section in a long time. Quite well-written, too. I've found new respect for you. Though your comment "I HATE RAP" in tladt irc still strikes me as prejudiced.
I applaud your generosity. I might not have helped at all.
If it's any consolation, that comment was quite an exaggeration. I just hate 99% of current mainstream rap. ^^
On April 26 2011 21:30 Lucumo wrote: Where does it say that the OP actually did this? Could be a simple story and nothing more...
Oh, sorry. It's a true story. Probably should have mentioned it somewhere at the end of my blog.
On April 26 2011 23:14 New Zealander wrote: You left out the most important details... What exactly did you order?
Also, what are you studying? Maybe you can dedicate your career to helping the homeless, like being an entrepreneur and setting up some shelter if you really feel that guilty.
Lol, just a simple breakfast meal.
My career goal is to be a diplomat. I don't believe I will be creating policies that will help the homeless, but I will still try to make improvements in society however best I can. Not on a domestic level, but on an international level. That is my goal, anyway, and atm it's a huge and distant ambition.
Stratoss: I understand where you are coming from 100%. That is certainly one way to look at it. In fact I used to share the same opinion. However, over the years, I have grown softer and more compassionate. Whether this is a bad or a good trait has yet to be seen, but unfortunately I do not agree with you at present.
The homeless are humans. They cannot and should not be generalized. They are all different with their own different sets of problems and needs. My policy is to not let the indecencies of some ruin the decencies of others. As a simple person myself, I will not allow myself to judge a person I do not know. There are those who may take advantage of society, but at the same time, I am positive there are those who genuinely need help and are not getting any.
The man I met was grateful beyond a doubt. So much so that his expression is buried deep within my memory. I did not mention it in the blog but I live in a ghetto neighborhood. The homeless here are not treated well. In fact they are often bullied by teenagers and left alone by adults. It is truly a tough place to live, homeless or not. I don't know why the homeless choose to reside here, but then again, why do I reside here? It's not so simple, I'll tell you that.
In any case, this man looked completely out of it. His face was so covered in dirt that I could not even recognize his skin color, not that it mattered. His speech was slurred and I was barely able to make it out. But through it all I was able to recognize his gratitude. I don't think I will ever be able to agree that giving him the hot chocolate was a bad thing, but I can agree that giving charity to some homeless may not produce desired results. But again I repeat: the homeless should not be generalized, and I will not judge an individual I do not know.
On April 27 2011 01:16 Stratoss wrote: Yeah I read the fucking story. Also it's so great that he's now so happy that he's homeless and can go on like that for another few years until he's dead, living a pointless life. Sometimes being insensitive means saving someone's life or even making them happy in the long run. Sometimes you have to be hard on your kids, or your loved ones. You can either accept that or keep doing that your way. But if he's still homeless, I guess it's not really working.
There are facilities (at least in our country) where they get to eat and wash everyday. They just don't go there because other people can do that for them and they don't have to "waste their time" with someone that can actually help them. If you don't give them the support, they have to go there and there's some hope for them to get better.
I think your just a bit conversationally disoriented. Everyone here is just supporting the point that helping people in need is a kind and potentially beneficial thing to do.. I doubt anyone who posted actually believes that they are making an enormous change to someone's life by giving them food or a smile or whatever. The point of the story was only to provide perspective on the potentially high emotional impact of minor ethical actions, not to convince people they can change lives with hot chocolate in a denny's parking lot. I liked your point about shelters being available to homeless people(in some cases) and I think you are right to a certain extent about motivating them. I personally believe that there are probably more ethical, supportive and effective ways of motivating homeless people, but I have no evidence to support this so =\....anyway, hope you read this.
EPT
doing these types of things always makes me feel good too!
I just hate 99% of current mainstream rap. ^^
