Excuse Me Sir, Could You Help Me Out? How do You React When You Hear This?

When a random person comes up to you on the street and asks if you have change, what do you do? Do you say I do not have any and walk away or do you quickly hand over change so you can move on with your life? Do you run away or do you start a conversation with them? There are many presumptions about what people who ask for money actually do with it when they get it. Some think they use it to buy food, clothes, or basic necessities. Others think they use it for drugs, alcohol, or cigarettes. Personally, I do not know enough about the persons to judge their motives.

Just the other day, I had just finished pumping gas and a man, who looked tired and ragged, asked me if I had any change. I asked him what he was going to do with it and he quickly started to spill some story about he had lost his job and need to pay his bills. This man did not know that I had seen him on two previous occasions asking others for money. On one of these occasions, I overheard a story about how he broke his leg and he needed to pay his medical bill. The next time, which was less than a week later, the man he lost his limp and was telling a story about how his house had just burned down. With those people, he had concocted a completely different story. I refused to give him any money not because he looked like he needed it because he did I did not give him the money because if he really needed a job, he would be looking for one. If I had just seen this man just once or if he had asked I for money the first time I had seen him, then I probably would have given him some money. It was through observation and logic that I made the decision not to give.

On one other occasion, a skinny black man came into the restaurant I was eating in. This man was obviously hungry because the first person he talked to was the manager. I overheard a conversation about how the man had come on some hard times and how he would work for an hour if the manager agreed to feed him. I knew instantly that this man was serious because he was willing to do what it took to get what he wanted which happened to be to get some food. I watched as the man picked up trash around the establishment and about the time I was leaving, the manager gave the man a good meal.