Showing posts with label generosity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label generosity. Show all posts

Friday, December 19, 2008

When should i give?

I'm a bit confused as per what circumstances one should give people money. I deliberately don't give beggars money, i don't believe in it cos a lot of them are actually ok and fit enough to work, i'd rather give someone i know who is ready to work and actually struggling to make a living than just open my purse and dash everyone who begs on the street money.

I remember i became tougher on this issue when one Sunday in my church a lady approached me with 2 children in hand and said she needed transport fare to get she and her children home from church. I immediately pitied her and asked where she lived, asked how much would get her there and even added extra. I walked away and came back to meet this woman telling someone else the same story. Apparently this was her source of income, i felt used and since then i would always direct any such people to the welfare department in church. They give stuff after service on sundays. This was about 3 years ago, will it be surprising to say i still saw the same woman a few weeks back, still holding two children and doing the same trade-begging. Why would an able bodied woman use such tactics to extort money from people? It's beyond me.

There's also this guy who has told my hubby this same 'i need transport fare' story in church almost every sunday for over a year. He makes a point of sending him to the welfare department like me. I wonder if the guy doesn't remember his face cos he asks him every Sunday and gets the same response.

So we recently moved into a new place where the security guys and gardener are paid by the tenants. I have given them a tip once in a while when i send them to do stuff and maybe that has made them bold i wonder. A few days ago, the two security guys were both talking about how they were expected to send money to their folks back in the village, even the younger looking of both of them said he was married and had a son, i was like wow. They jokingly said 'aunty make una help us o' and i responded by saying God will help us all.

A few days later, i heard the door bell early in the morning, i was home alone and wasn't expecting anybody only for me to open the door and it was one of the security guys. I asked what he wanted, he said they were suffering and even money to eat was a problem and he wanted to ask me to give them anything i could. I thought that was really bold of him. He complained they were only paid half salary for last month, i just moved into the house this month and i don't know how true this is. He earns 15 grand a month. Unfortunately for him, i had no cash in the house and i told him so. I asked if he wanted food stuff as i could give him that but he said no, he wanted money. E gba mi o (help me)

So i was wondering, is this right? I have given them stuff a few times though i haven't lived in the house too long. I try to extend a geneours hand to people who work around me and i know are in need but is it right for my security guy to knock on my door like that? I just wonder

What he did has really turned me off to be honest and i almost find it difficult to give them anything now, what do you guys think?