Quote:
Originally Posted by Kevin
Explain how it's not a choice for someone with an able body/mind.
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kevin
Or perhaps we consider it rude and immoral to beg? Perhaps it offends our moral decency that someone who we know could very well choose to take advantage of the vast resources available to them and have a better life (and does not) is invading our space requesting that we subsidize their life choice?
|
And herein, I think, lies the problem that many of us have about this whole situation. How do we
know a particular homeless person is of able mind or body or could very well choose to take advantage of the vast resources available to them and have a better life? We can assume it, but how do we know? I'll readily grant that your example at the start of this thread gave every indication of not needing the wheel chair he was using. (Although is it possible that he had become adept at using a wheel chair but for reasons not apparent he really couldn't stand or walk? I don't know.) But mental illnesses in particular may not be at all obvious, and not all phsyical limitations are obvious either.
The reality is that usually we don't really know. We can assume and guess, but we don't know for sure unless we actually take some time with the person, and even then can we know for sure? Occasionally it may be pretty obvious that someone is trying to pull one over on us, but in my experience, that is the exception rather than the rule.
So we're left to make some snap judgments -- do we show some compassion and risk enabling someone's addiction -- maybe even making things worse for them -- or rewarding a scammer? Do we refuse to enable the addict or reward the scammer and risk failing to show compassion to someone who truly needs it?
Things get even trickier when you have kids. How do I demonstrate to my kids the need to be careful and also the need to practice the values we are trying to teach them?
For me, at least, there are no easy answers.
Threaded Mode
