The story of why I hate people...and why I love people.

@Paco Dennis post quoted:
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."

Sad how some don't make/reach the logical conclusion that '..whatever you do to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you do to me.'
 

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oldman said:
Oh, yes. My mom did that. We would have someone stop by every now and then and ask for any chores that needed done in exchange for a meal or even a sandwich. My mom gave them a job, even if it was just sweeping off our huge wraparound porch.
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yeah I know .... sounding cold here but it is just the unfortunate truth.

Today, they do not want the "chore/job" ...... they just want the hand-out.
 

rgp said:
Today, they do not want the "chore/job" ...... they just want the hand-out.
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True enough

Some may be just on the take
Some have just lost their way

Not mine to pick/choose

Our hard target is those without signs

A hot coffee and a blanket in winter is not much to give
But usually received with thankfulness

However, understanding, the problem goes much deeper
 
I think factual is important. We have a society that doesn't know the meaning of the word 'truth' anymore and that has repercussions, dangerous ones.

I have no need for made up sob stories. I don't like BS or manipulation thank you. Totally ridiculous story, a whole store in revolt for the sake of good. Right. Then they go home and beat up their spouses.
 
rgp said:
yeah I know .... sounding cold here but it is just the unfortunate truth.

Today, they do not want the "chore/job" ...... they just want the hand-out.
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Absolutely right. Just last Monday, I gave a man on a corner here in Florida, a $5 bill. I didn’t see any parked car around and he looked rough and that he has had a hard life. He definitely needs a haircut and his nails need cleaned and trimmed. Generally, I will talk to them for a minute or so, but in his case, I handed him the money and kept moving. It’s hard sometimes to tell their age, but if I had to guess, I would say that he is maybe 60 or so.

I don’t hand money over to all of the panhandlers that I come in contact with, but people in his condition, I am OK with giving them a few bucks.
 
I think the story is a story .....it wants everyone to believe and join in to do good things ...... the all against one judging person seems unrealistic percentages.
and why call out your good deed unless you expected a pat on the back ... or shame others to follow your lead

But personal experience makes a far greater impact....no one repeats those stories ... no wonder why people video everything
I bought cold water for a homeless person sitting outside of gas station in extreme heat ....................had the water thrown at me telling me to march back in and buy him a BEER .....
so nope not again ...
 
Pepper said:
I think factual is important. We have a society that doesn't know the meaning of the word 'truth' anymore and that has repercussions, dangerous ones.

I have no need for made up sob stories. I don't like BS or manipulation thank you. Totally ridiculous story, a whole store in revolt for the sake of good. Right. Then they go home and beat up their spouses.
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In general, i agree that facts, truth matter. But i also know that humans have a long history, going back to before we wrote things down of conveying Community values, ideals thru stories.

Personally, i would certainly rather have people spreading 'sob stories' (tho admittedly this one went a bit over the top) than contentious 'us vs.them', 'fear the different' stories.

That's why i subscribe to various Good News e-newsletters. And look for such stories online. Just as some bad news stories used to stay local, if not horriffic enough, good news stories did too--and still would if not for YouTube and social media. Stories about a half dozen or more strangers joining forces to lift a car of a motorcyclist, or forming a human chain to pull someone out of a rough surf. There's video, such things DO happen.

Humanity still has a chance to tip the balance in favor of humane, compassionate behavior. Whether we will or not is perhaps more uncertain than ever, but as long as i feel there's chance i will continue to do what i can, where i can with what i have (sometimes even when in today's world it could go badly for me) and to share stories if others doing the same.

As for the sentence i made bold-- cynical and unlikely. Studies with FMRIs have shown that just thinking about doing a good deed releases feel good chemicals in our brains. People tend to want o sustain that feeling and are less likely to respond to anger triggers in that state. The embarrassed woman, likely also angry at those who pointed out her bad behavior, much more likely to leave the store and rant or even strike someone (kid, dog?) else.
 
The belief that homeless people are largely entitled, greedy, disdain work, runs counter to my experience. Some are, just as some non homeless people exhibit these Human traits. However, most of the people I have encountered are either mentally ill, developmentally challenged,

traumatised, escaping violent domestic situations, or lost in the personal hell of substance abuse. Some have aged out of the foster care system. Others have lost their homes, jobs, savings, due to financial constraints beyond their capacity to fix. I have known individuals

who are simply too damaged to work, others who can’t find any. Who trusts homeless people enough to give them a job? Sadly, not many. As always, it is so much easier to condemn, than to care.
 
Shalimar said:
The belief that homeless people are largely entitled, greedy, disdain work, runs counter to my experience. Some are, just as some non homeless people exhibit these Human traits. However, most of the people I have encountered are either mentally ill, developmentally challenged,

traumatised, escaping violent domestic situations, or lost in the personal hell of substance abuse. Some have aged out of the foster care system. Others have lost their homes, jobs, savings, due to financial constraints beyond their capacity to fix. I have known individuals

who are simply too damaged to work, others who can’t find any. Who trusts homeless people enough to give them a job? Sadly, not many. As always, it is so much easier to condemn, than to care.
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With what housing costs these days, many people working full time can't afford to rent an apartment, or because of their bad credit or other issues, don't qualify. The housing shortage is partially to blame. There is also a worker shortage, but the good paying jobs require experience and often a four-year degree.

As far as hiring people with mental health issues, those people are often not reliable nor fun to work with, so there's another obstacle impeding their gainful employment and recovery.

The world is pretty %$#@!ed up right now and it's not surprising that so many people have simply given up.
 
I have traveled to many countries of the world over the decades. Yes, the monuments, the museums, the places of worship and the scenery are pretty nice. However, when I come home the strongest memories are of the people I have met along the way; even if for only a few minutes.
 
Jeni said:
...I bought cold water for a homeless person sitting outside of gas station in extreme heat ....................had the water thrown at me telling me to march back in and buy him a BEER .....
so nope not again ...
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See, that would only stop me from offering help to THAT individual again, not to other homeless people. Because i react to people as individuals, not ascribing one person's behavior to everybody in their demographic group.
Shalimar said:
One final point, many of the homeless I interact with are vets. They gave their all to keep us safe, then fell through the cracks, ended up on the street. They are certainly entitled to be cared for. But we don’t, do we? Just point fingers, and walk away.
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Agree with this and with your points in comment #34. I would add many teens (3-4 yrs ago stats put it at 40% of them) on the street are there because their families tossed them out for identifying with LGBTQ+ community.


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And since no-one else has mentioned this pesky reality i will: If you are moved to buy water for homeless suffering in heat---it should be no colder than from shelf of air conditioned store. From the cooler might, depending on how close to heat exhaustion they are, be a shock to the system and cause vomiting which would cause more dehydration.

While i've no doubt every one in areas with higher temperatures than normal feels like they are suffering, unless you've had or witnessed heat exhaustion you probably don't get the difference in the degree of suffering.
 
oldman said:
If that lady would have minded her own business, this copy wouldn’t have been posted in Facebook. Offering a cold drink to anyone is part of humanity. It doesn’t matter if it’s a homeless person or a contractor at your home. It’s an act of kindness, which we need more of right now. I had to have a new A/C put in my home here in Florida last week. It was 103 outside. I offered the two men water, iced tea or lemonade. They gladly accepted the lemonade.
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Good for you!! My daughter lives in Florida and leaves water, cokes, snacks out on her porch for the delivery guys..she orders a lot from Amazon :Dall the delivery guys are so appreciative!
 
Jeni said:
I think the story is a story .....it wants everyone to believe and join in to do good things ...... the all against one judging person seems unrealistic percentages.
and why call out your good deed unless you expected a pat on the back ... or shame others to follow your lead

But personal experience makes a far greater impact....no one repeats those stories ... no wonder why people video everything
I bought cold water for a homeless person sitting outside of gas station in extreme heat ....................had the water thrown at me telling me to march back in and buy him a BEER .....
so nope not again ...
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That is really sad..but it is my understanding many of the homeless have emotional/mental issues so it is no surprise some would behave less than reasonable. I hope that doesn't really stop you. There are others out there who would appreciate your kindness. I give money sometimes and have been told they only buy drugs. I don't give a huge amount so I don't know how/if that is true, but even if it is and they are that desperate I say give them a few minutes of happiness in their troubled lives.
 
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For those who feel uncomfortable handing out cash because they believe it will only go to drugs.....you can always give a coffee shop or McDonalds gift card.

Encourage them to seek the help they desperately need, a food bank is a good place to start as most have other resources to recommend.
 
If one likes stories made up yet defined as truth in order to manipulate feelings, yeah, it's great. If it's fiction designed to make one 'feel good' at least say so. What other topics can we use this for? I shudder. Stickler re: mind control. That's me.

Definitely no criticism of you Nathan for re-posting.
 

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