I don't have the answer, of course. I usually go with my gut, which was really hard back in Mexico City, where there are a lot of kids asking for money. Kids are my kryptonite. But I learned you believe humans are intrinsically good, and that made me happy.
They are, and no matter their purpose of asking, begging, or just looking like they need help, they are probably doing it for some reason that seems right for them.
To many people, asking for help is extremely difficult. To some, it is not. And some people get through life on the help of others, all the way through, always trying to make others do the hard work for them.
But no matter the reason, they actually do need it. Maybe they have more than you already, and still they need help. Because they believe that they do.
Well, we don't want to help scammers, don't want to give our last penny to someone who already has a lot and will not appreciate our sacrifice anyway. But in most cases, we simply cannot know if this is the case. If we help, we do it because we are good. That deed isn't undone if someone was a scammer. We still did the right thing. It was a thing in our heart.
But I pick up the question for some reasons... When I moved to Sweden, I wanted to take part in some charity work. And when I tried to find something to be part of, I discovered that all charities were, in fact, businesses, earning money. Only the volunteers got nothing, and they were very picky with who they would "hire" as unpaid volunteers.
I was thinking back to Denmark, where I lived before, and it appeared to me that the bigger charity organizations are the same there — except that they are not registered as businesses, but they have a hired staff with high-paid directors. Much of the money they are being donated by people who want to help is being spent on expensive consultants; such who specialize in doing planning and running projects for charity organizations, at a high, hourly price.
And then there are the individual beggars, sitting in the streets. At times, it seems to be organized, so the individual you give some money will pass them on to a "pimp" or whatever they are called, who are circling the city during the day in a big car to cash in.
This makes it easy for some people to reject charity altogether. Only, there are people who need help. Some of them asking, others not. And if you can save one of them by being misled by three others, it should still be worth it. That one is worth saving.
Another aspect is the talk about if and how to pay for subscriptions on Substack. Some praise the system and want to pay, while others honestly say that they cannot afford it. There are Substackians who literally earn millions of dollars each month on publishing an article a day, while others can hardly pay the rent but want so much to be writers. In my view, the latter will need my money more, therefore I would rather buy a subscription from them.
On the other hand, I could spend the same amount on buying a paper magazine in a kiosk, this way helping the staff at that magazine get their salaries – making it possible for them to live from writing.
Again, no matter who need it the most, I do help some by giving something to some. Even if some of them already have enough.
Well, the whole thing is of course getting more complicated by some of us not having much to give in the first place.
It is, indeed, complicated. The reason you mention (the pimps, who are often their parents in my county) is why I hesitate to help children.
There are, of course, other ways to help. I don't pay for your Substack 🙊, but I'm a loyal supporter. Most of us are doing the best we can with the circumstances we are given.
Thank you, I know. I appreciate your support a lot, please know that. And I try as well to do what I can in various situations. The main idea in the "life thought" above is that we can, in my opinion, feel good about actually doing something, whatever it is, even if we cannot always ensure that the most in need will get the most help.
I don't have the answer, of course. I usually go with my gut, which was really hard back in Mexico City, where there are a lot of kids asking for money. Kids are my kryptonite. But I learned you believe humans are intrinsically good, and that made me happy.
They are, and no matter their purpose of asking, begging, or just looking like they need help, they are probably doing it for some reason that seems right for them.
To many people, asking for help is extremely difficult. To some, it is not. And some people get through life on the help of others, all the way through, always trying to make others do the hard work for them.
But no matter the reason, they actually do need it. Maybe they have more than you already, and still they need help. Because they believe that they do.
Well, we don't want to help scammers, don't want to give our last penny to someone who already has a lot and will not appreciate our sacrifice anyway. But in most cases, we simply cannot know if this is the case. If we help, we do it because we are good. That deed isn't undone if someone was a scammer. We still did the right thing. It was a thing in our heart.
But I pick up the question for some reasons... When I moved to Sweden, I wanted to take part in some charity work. And when I tried to find something to be part of, I discovered that all charities were, in fact, businesses, earning money. Only the volunteers got nothing, and they were very picky with who they would "hire" as unpaid volunteers.
I was thinking back to Denmark, where I lived before, and it appeared to me that the bigger charity organizations are the same there — except that they are not registered as businesses, but they have a hired staff with high-paid directors. Much of the money they are being donated by people who want to help is being spent on expensive consultants; such who specialize in doing planning and running projects for charity organizations, at a high, hourly price.
And then there are the individual beggars, sitting in the streets. At times, it seems to be organized, so the individual you give some money will pass them on to a "pimp" or whatever they are called, who are circling the city during the day in a big car to cash in.
This makes it easy for some people to reject charity altogether. Only, there are people who need help. Some of them asking, others not. And if you can save one of them by being misled by three others, it should still be worth it. That one is worth saving.
Another aspect is the talk about if and how to pay for subscriptions on Substack. Some praise the system and want to pay, while others honestly say that they cannot afford it. There are Substackians who literally earn millions of dollars each month on publishing an article a day, while others can hardly pay the rent but want so much to be writers. In my view, the latter will need my money more, therefore I would rather buy a subscription from them.
On the other hand, I could spend the same amount on buying a paper magazine in a kiosk, this way helping the staff at that magazine get their salaries – making it possible for them to live from writing.
Again, no matter who need it the most, I do help some by giving something to some. Even if some of them already have enough.
Well, the whole thing is of course getting more complicated by some of us not having much to give in the first place.
It is, indeed, complicated. The reason you mention (the pimps, who are often their parents in my county) is why I hesitate to help children.
There are, of course, other ways to help. I don't pay for your Substack 🙊, but I'm a loyal supporter. Most of us are doing the best we can with the circumstances we are given.
Thank you, I know. I appreciate your support a lot, please know that. And I try as well to do what I can in various situations. The main idea in the "life thought" above is that we can, in my opinion, feel good about actually doing something, whatever it is, even if we cannot always ensure that the most in need will get the most help.
The Secret: The ones who don't ask for money are the worthy ones.
Clever thinking!