Hi guys,
So I work at a flower shop in a very affluent suburb of Massachusetts. Today a man walked in, and as I greeted him, he signed to me that he was deaf. He then handed me a typed piece of paper that read “Hi, I am deaf and homeless, I am so sorry to bother you, but do you have any money that you could spare?” In that instant, my heart broke for him. The look on his face was pure sadness. I signaled that I would be right back. I grabbed $10 out of my wallet (that’s all I had for cash on me) I gave it to him and he shook my hand with genuine appreciation and then left.
Afterwards, I was telling my colleague about the encounter and she instantly said that it was probably a scam and told me that I shouldn’t give money to the homeless. I dismissed her claims at the time, telling myself she was just being cynical.
Why is it so frowned upon in our society to give money to the homeless who ask for help? Most people automatically assume the worst, when they don’t even know their story, or what series of events brought them to where they are today. Why are we told to turn our backs on those who are less fortunate than ourselves?
Am I being naive for thinking this way? Is my problem that I have too much empathy for others?
Submitted July 24, 2018 at 09:57AM by theplantgoddess https://ift.tt/2JPbCRk