Ask Lemmy
A Fediverse community for open-ended, thought provoking questions
Rules: (interactive)
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Been there done that. You never, ever know what’s the story behind a beggar. If I have and feel like it and I’m not in a rush I give. This is a fucked up world.
There was a time in my adult life that I was stealing water from a construction site so I could care for my ill partner after losing work and family members. I did claw out and found new work and a whole new life, but I was down that far and worse and you wouldn't know it by looking at me now. I'm sure I was more than dirty at the time from having to walk everywhere. I uber'd a lot, but you can't do that every day.
I came very close to asking strangers for help. I guess I did to some degree, I did ask for help on online forums specifically for that purpose, got very little response... but why does that seem "better" to so many people? Is it the eye-contact with someone you could become? Is it fear that you don't feel the sympathy you think you should if you look at them?
Is it harder to smile at a poor or homeless person than someone getting out of their nice car? Why or why not?
These are all better questions that readers should ask themselves than try to answer here for the reactions of strangers. We really don't ponder enough and it's breaking everything at the seams.