How far can generosity go?

[Driz 1,552]

I'll start this off with a little story:

 

Yesterday, my sister and I went bowling along with a bunch of friends. On our way back, at night, we decided to stop by the local supermarket to buy a few things that we had run out of. My sister and I had five money between us and after paying, we had just a few coins left in our pockets.

 

After that, on our way back home, we got approached by a homeless guy asking for a change. Without giving it a second thought, I handed the guy the few coins I had and he happily thanked me. I felt happy too. But then my sister got mad at me, calling me a retard. I complained about it, and she said that we could never be sure whether that guy was really in need or not: he could be just some random lazy drunk who would waste our generously-given coins in alcohol or drugs. That got me thinking a lot, because it seemed like my sister was right.

 

So, after this small background, here's my question: How far do you think those acts of generosity and kindness can go before becoming simply stupidity? Because, looking back now, I feel like I have been crossing this line way too often.

[Rainbow Skywalker 642]

Generosity is never stupidity. If those coins were not doing anything for you but weighing down your pocket, then why not donate them to the poor? Even if they would just spend it on booze the very second they had enough, you would still be bringing pleasure to another human being and that is what counts.

[Colt 555]

Well generosity is the act of giving someone something (and something good) without expecting gaining another thing out of it. From an act inspired of kindness to the fact that maybe you didnt have a real "use" for those coins I believe that there is no way you can call it stupidity.

 

First of all the concept that homeless people are a bunch of alcohol/drug addicts as a general concept is just wrong. As society we generalize "segments" as one of a kind, normaly a band kind, so in fact believe that a guy like that is going to use that money to in a way harm himself is just being part of that conduct.

 

I dont think you could doubt that your kindness and generosity are close to stupidity, is not as you are giving him a smoke/drink/shot you gave helped him in a way and he as a any other human being will be responsable for using that help in a good or bad way.

 

Do not let your heart be hardened, and do what you believe is right

[Evilshy 5,089]

I do believe that generosity and charity are both very good things. However, you have to be smart about it, and I like knowing what my money is going to and how it might be used. I don't like giving change to random people on the street, because I don't know how they'll use it. I don't want to fund a drug or alcohol problem. If I have some food with me, I might give them some, because then at least I have a good idea of how it will be used (yeah, they could trade it for drugs or something, but more likely, they'll eat it).

I am however, reluctant to just giving stuff to random people on the street, because it perpetuates the problem by teaching them that they can get free stuff by asking for it, and I'd rather not have more people like that.

 

Also, I've seen people donate money when they don't have any to spare. This is pretty stupid in my opinion. Yeah, it's good to give to others, but if you barely have anything yourself, well, you need to look out for yourself and your family before giving to various causes.

[Titan Rising 2,156]

I've been thinking about this stuff lately also... And the conclusion I've come to is that giving away money does not make you generous, and keeping money does not make you greedy either. Rather than money, I think to be truly generous you have to give people time, meaning you have to help to encourage them, have faith in them, teach them, etc so that they are able to take care of themselves.

 

Giving people money is essentially throwing your pity at someone, telling them to go buy something and keep themselves alive so that they can beg another day. We might hope that they spend it on some way to get back on their feet, but whether they do or don't really doesn't matter because you've done nothing to change who they were before taking the money.

 

I think the best thing anyone can do for another person is teach them, help them get a job to support themselves once they've been taught, and believe in them when they don't believe in themselves. But before that they have to decide for themselves that they want to work and that they want to learn, and I don't think that's something that can be inspired in another person by giving them money; I think it's something that they have to decide for themselves, and it's something that either comes from having your back fully against the wall or being in the presence of someone who has great skill and ability and being inspired by their work

[CloudFyre 848]

The actual statistics on the subject of "homelessness" are almost scary. I talked with a friend of mine a year or two back who works as a narcotics officer, and he said that the majority of "homeless" people that you see on the streets actually make more than the average U.S. salary, just by receiving a little bit of money from a large number of people.

 

That being said, there are people out there in need - so don't hear me say "You shouldn't give to anyone.".

 

But just in terms of memorable giving, I saw a picture of someone's front windshield on their car, and on it was a small note. The note read something to the effect of: "I saw that your tires were almost bald, so I bought you some new ones. They'll be ready for you at 6:00 at the (tire store), so just head on over and give them the name ________. All I ask is that you carry this on and do something kind for someone else in the future."

 

I don't remember the tire store name or the name that the photographer had to use to receive his tires, but I thought that was an awesome way to kickstart generosity. (It makes me want to start a chain like that as well!)

Edited November 6, 2012 by CloudFyre

[Cherry Blossom 863]

Giving out money to the poor feels very generous in my opinion. I've seen a family out in a street and I just couldn't bear watching them like this. It seemed so upsetting and I just had to give them $5. It only depends on your persepective and the person you are giving money to. I've had a friend who donated $700 to Unicef, but I wouldn't see that as stupid at all. Some people who are in need, didn't even get a chance at a good life. That's why we have unemployed people in America, because they never got the chance they could. Why? There wasn't any jobs for them to work.

 

I've seen a poor people who had to scavenge for items in sewer drains by using a fish hook. Their hair was uncut, their clothes were tathered and dirty, and worst of all, they beg. It upsets me, all of it and I can't help, but to donate whatever money I can to the poor.

 

Now, if China were to lift that debt America owes them, I'm pretty sure it would be generous in moral, but very stupid in terms of business.

[I used to be a stranger 7,989]

This post has been redacted by the author.

Edited May 4, 2021 by Blue

[AnonBrony 1,467]

Well, i believe that any act of giving without wanting anything in return, or any act of charity is a good thing. I mean sure he could of wasted those coins, but then again those few coins could of helped that old man. At least you showed him some kindness and you had a good intention. I think thats all that matters.

If that old man is stupid enough to waste the money generously given to him by a kind person such as yourself, thats his problem, and he should be ashamed if he does. You ment for that money to be put to good use, and that man should know that.

As long as you have a good intention, and you give someone something out of the goodness of your heart, and you don't expect anything in return, then i don't think its stupid. Its a good thing.

 

Now when is the point it is stupid? Well, there is no such point. Any act of generosity can be a good thing. Doesn't mean it can't be stupid and bad. It can. But the act also has a good chance of being good instead of something utterly stupid.

[Commander Urdnot 2,680]

I think your sister is overreacting. Giving away like 78 cents to somebody on the street is not being stupid. I wouldn't even say it's generous. It's not like you gave him 15 dollars or anything.

 

I somewhat agree with . Donating time is MUCH more generous than money. Don't get me wrong, giving away money is generous, however giving away time shows that you care more about the person rather than giving away money. You can get more money, however you cannot get more time. You can develop a much better connection with the person, and do more for them by giving them time in lieu of money.

 

Being generous is a very good thing, however there are people out there who will take you for a ride. I wish it wasn't like that, but sadly it is. Just be careful when you're being generous. Don't give to a point where you're in financial trouble, and take a second to make sure the person really needs the help you're offering, and isn't just looking for a free ride.

[Gone Airbourne 21,969]

Not was not a dumb/retarded thing of you to give your change to the fellow. It is the act that counts and you were just trying to help a fellow human being in need. It is up to him how he uses that money that you gave him. But i take my hat off to you for being so kind to help someone in need. That was very thoughtful of you.

[Arrow 236]

I'll put in my 5 cents (c wat i did thar) and say that generosity is genorosity as long as you aren't giving it away, then it somehow becomes acts of kindness for no reason at all!

[DireDoe 48]

You are a kind person. It's a shame your sister isn't. There is no guarantee that he would have bought drugs or booze with the money, and if you could give away your change without thinking twice on it, then you really didn't need it, anyway.

 

If you really are that concerned about what other people do with their money, next time a homeless person asks for change so they can get food, go to a nearby convenience store or something and grab them a sammich or something.

 

The homeless are amongst the highest to be murdered, sexually assaulted, robbed, attacked, die frome exposure, or die from easily-treated illnesses. I say if he's going to get a bottle of cheap beer to make his life a bit more bareable, then he's welcome to do so.

[Driku12 64]

There's an old saying that I like to quote some times: "It is better to let a guilty man go free than to let an innocent man be imprisoned."

 

Even if there's a chance of the guy being a drunk or someone who is faking the homeless thing; there's still also a chance that he is a real poor man telling the truth. Even if he was a drunk, giving him the money would be better than him being actually poor and being denied it.

[leogal 74]

I don't think it was stupid at all...I remember when I was in college I was on the streets for a while. It was really tough having people stare at me like I was a lunatic and throw things at me. It's not like I had much of a choice to be there. When I got back on my feet I used to take one homeless lady to breakfast every pay check. She was always sitting on the corner of my favourite cafe, never asking but her tin was always sitting empty beside her. She loved our breakfast's every two weeks. It gave her something to look forward to I think. Sad part is, I couldn't do more for her and one morning when I went to meet her she wasn't there. I haven't seen her since.

Generosity is giving what you can, whither that be time, change or a bit of food. I don't think what you did was stupid at all.

[ZiggWheelsManning 7,377]

I don't think generosity has any limits.  

[Fluttershutter 2,122]

I don't think there's any harm giving somebody your change but if they look really terrible you might just be supporting their alcohol or drug addiction.

And then there was that King of the Hill episode where Bobby was hanging around with those kids who supported themselves by bumming money. I knew some kids in high school who did that to get money for fast food and movies.

[Cash In 21,536]

The thing is that you never really know whether your generosity is being used for the right thing, but at the end of the day, your aim is to try and help someone less fortunate out, so you just have put enough faith in that person. That's generally my perspective and yeah, people have called me dumb for giving away money, but I take solace in knowing that it may have helped someone out.

[TBD 17,228]

It does have limits- if you’re talking about helping financing  for another country to the point it’s draining one’s own economy dry leading a possibility of another Great Depression, I’d resent against that. That’s way we have the idea of loan, To put a limitation on this so called “charity”. I never like the idea giving away my money willy nilly for some cause and strangers... for free of course. 

[EpicEnergy 22,098]

It can go as far as you are willing to let it. Generosity can be giving away 100% of your income or 1%, and either way it wouldn't necessarily be wrong. It is up to each individual to decide what to give, how much of it should be given, and who it should be given to. I think that generosity is a good deed as long as you have the right intentions, and that what the receiver does with your gift does not necessarily affect the morality of your decision.

[Dreambiscuit 8,024]

It’s never too far. There’s no way to know who is just mooching off others and who is in genuine need of help. In any case it’s far better to err on the side of doing what’s right. If you do the right thing it doesn’t matter of someone else is doing right or wrong. Be the best ‘you’ you can be and always take every opportunity to do a good deed if you can. If you give away a few coins or a few bucks, what can that hurt? And the good it can do can be enormous.

[TheRockARooster 47,341]

Moments ago, Dreambiscuit said:

It’s never too far. There’s no way to know who is just mooching off others and who is in genuine need of help. In any case it’s far better to err on the side of doing what’s right. If you do the right thing it doesn’t matter of someone else is doing right or wrong. Be the best ‘you’ you can be and always take every opportunity to do a good deed if you can. If you give away a few coins or a few bucks, what can that hurt? And the good it can do can be enormous.

So true, Dreamy. 

[Splashee 28,537]

I like to be generous towards someone who can first notice it, and actually care. Just spending endless of hours being nice to random people will only get me tired.