It's a bigger issue than any one post can handle.
Every word you said was correct and I have no doubt that a large portion of the money given to beggars is wasted. As a rule I do not and will not give money to beggar. However, being generous is still imperative!
I happily give to the Salvation Army here in Abbotsford. It is an organization which offers meals, medical help, and a place to sleep for those who (a) are homeless and have nothing but also (b) agree to not use drugs and try to better themselves. Anyone caught using drugs of fighting is out of the shelter. I know people working in the shelter and I know the nurse in charge of arranging the medical help. Money there is well spent.
The same thing goes for my local church. They regularly make food baskets and give money t those who have an immediate need. Again, they do not give to beggars but for those with an identified need (rent, food, medical supplies and so forth) we try hard to help.
Even when I was trying to help an Afghani refugee (Muslim) and we went to the local government aid workers as they were struggling....the government aid workers reached out to the local churches for food and assistance for them. Some Muslim wouldn't take generosity from Christian churches (or Sikh ones which are also represented in our city). However, the generosity of the churches were available to all.
How to get aid to those who truly need it has been a challenge to all who wish to help. It is really important to help though. As for myself, when I was younger I was one of those in need of help.
I would never have gotten my first bicycle if not for the generosity of strangers.
There were times we would not have food on the table if not for the generosity of strangers.
There were times I would not have had a place to sleep if not for the generosity of strangers.
I know the power of helping others. I know the power of paying it forward. I know the pitfalls of finding the right person to donate to.
I will not fall prey to pity for beggars and panhandlers. However, I hope to pray for those who don't have enough and will actively donate money on causes that will help.
If my money goes to those who are thieves or scammers? Well, I believe God settles the scales in the end. They will get their due someday :)
Thanks for the post.
I had a misconception that people might take advantage of your generosity and that you could end up giving money to scammy beggars. It's good to know that you are not blindly doing charity. I know you are smart and have a sweet heart. While there are good people in this world, there are also scammers lurking around.
Similar to the Salvation Army, I give to Saylani here. I know their services in Pakistan and appreciate their work, but there are many even doing better than Saylani. I am aware of some charitable groups that offer interest-free loans for business and help people by funding shops, machines, etc. These groups allow people to pay back a percentage of whatever they make monthly without any extra amount. Costs and risks are covered by the charity. This method helps people come out of poverty.
You went through some tough times, man. If you have written about those in any of your blogs, I would love to have a sneak peek. Do drop the link. My father took care of more than one family when I was young, which resulted in less for our own family. I can't write those relatives' names here, but this kind of help is common in Pakistan. This was just to give you an idea. I remember many moments in life when I didn't have new shoes or new school bags because my dad was the breadwinner for more than one family. He also became a taxi driver along with his day job to feed everyone. It was tough, but I never saw a day when we didn't have food. As a child, sometimes I didn't have new and shiny things like my friends did. On the first day of a new class, the majority had new shoes, clothes, bags, and bottles. I don't remember having such luxuries in life. Now that I am grown up, I see it as a blessing to have had the things I did, like food, water, electricity, and shelter.
Well said, it will bite them in the end. I believe in karma. The karma I like to believe in is that whenever we do good or bad to a person, and if they pray for us or curse us, even if in their heart, a creature is born. It's the job of this creature to bless or punish us for that deed within this world. As long as they have good or bad feelings in their heart about another human being over a deed, the creature stays alive. It can control human thoughts and actions for blessing or revenge. It might all be a nice fiction just to make humans behave, but karma is an interesting concept for those who believe in it.
I haven't written about my trials as a child as who would want to read about that? My profile says I'm from Canada and that alone puts me in a better position than many here.
However, my father left when I was 6 leaving my mother with a 6 and 4yr old child. He never gave her money to live on and while she worked hard her wages were very low. Many things happened over the years but we were always poor. We lived in a house that was poorly built. I remember when I was about 8 I was a friend of a neighbor who was Indian but the parents wouldn't let me play with him because they thought I was beneath their station. I was bullied in elementary and middle school. I had my heart broken by the first girl I ever loved (and proposed to). I was homeless after University surviving on the charity of friends who let me couch surf.
Old clothes. Donated toys. No money.
But its not how you start the race.....It is how you finish.
My trials when I was younger taught me the value of money and gave me the strength to persevere as I got older. I've always put my faith in God and he has never let me down. I am in a strong financial position now but know that it could vanish in a moment I do understand Karma but my bible does put it a little differently. As a Christian God is the judge of all (myself included) and will judge everyone fairly on their deeds and on what they have failed to do. It also says that judgement belongs to him.....not to me. My job is simply to be a good steward of all I've been given. Every breath, every dollar, every chance meeting are all opportunities to do what is right. Of course being a good steward also means trying to be shrewd to get the most value out of everything I've been given.
I'm sure that many will take advantage of my nature and heart. That is the way of things on earth. I'll try not to be fooled but I'm certain people are sneakier than my brain even allows me to think. Still, a little common sense goes a long ways and beggars and addicts are typically not a good use of funds. As you said, often beggars make more money than those who work all day.
On a different note.... I think I saw a post of yours about "The Crowd venture". I don't know if it is something you are interested in but perhaps I could donate some money to the cause with the understanding that you keep all the capital I donate...a portion of any income you get... then support Hive and maybe the GLD token if there's a little left over :) Just a thought.
Sorry to keep you waiting for 9 days for my reply. I was on a break from Hive to take care of my health. I needed some fresh air and an outing. Now I’m back, so I can reply to you.
You mentioned your father. I can somewhat understand what it feels like to be without a father because mine went to Qatar for work for 3 years. It was tough for me, even though I had my father’s social network to support me. I can only partially grasp the challenges of being raised by a single parent. Your mom is definitely a hero for raising such a nice gentleman on her own. You are the result of all her struggles. If she is in heaven, she would be smiling to see how her little seed grew into a sweet cherry blossom.
Regarding poverty, I have already shared my part of the story.
About bullying, I’m not sure if you know the difference between cartoons and anime. If you do, I recommend an anime called "Lookism." I usually don’t cry, but watching "Lookism" made me cry. The bully beats the main character in front of his mom, and a grown man cries. The songs in the anime have very deep meanings. You will enjoy it, and it might change your perspective on a few things. If you are interested in anime, I also recommend "I Want to Eat Your Pancreas." If you prefer something that isn't about bullying, "Lookism" has about 4 times more watch time than "I Want to Eat Your Pancreas" and is definitely worth it. I cried at the ending too, and remember, I usually don’t cry watching anything online. Personally, I don’t remember facing any serious bullying.
Oh, first love. It hurts. No words here. I am not the best person to talk about relationships. I just know how to bow down and sacrifice to save a relationship. I usually win people and lose arguments even when I’m right and the other person is wrong. It’s very hard for me to hate someone I once loved. I also let go of my love if I get in the way of their freedom, dreams, and goals. They can leave if they want, but it’s hard for me to stop loving them. That’s just how I am. But humans change; maybe in 5 years, I will be a different person and this comment will be outdated.
How many of those friends who helped you and provided you shelter are still your friends?
I’m happy to see how you came out of poverty. If someone reads this in the future, I hope you can serve as an inspiration that change is possible.
About toys, my father didn’t buy me a lot due to his heavy responsibilities. I didn’t have donated toys, but I had a neighbor who bought a lot of toys. It was against my family traditions to play with toys that were not mine, so I couldn’t bring them home even if my friend wanted to give them to me. If you remember, I mentioned a lady in my blogs as the "Golden Sparrow." My grandma gave me money to buy my neighbor's toys because she knew I wanted his toys, not ones from a shop. You know how kids want that specific shiny thing. I used to buy his toys in bulk at a very cheap rate after he got bored of them. Some were even broken. When my dad saw me playing with a broken transformer truck, he went to a shop and asked for toy prices. The shopkeeper said 500 PKR, but when he noticed my dad couldn't afford it, he sold it for 300 PKR (he called my dad back after he had left the shop). Another thing about toys is that once, my cousin's bus and my ambulance clashed during play, and my ambulance broke because it was cheaper. Money can't buy happiness for sure, but it can buy good quality products.
About charity, I will cover that in your dedicated post.
Regarding Hive Crowdventure, I received your gift of 20 HBD. Each Crowdventure post has an allocated fund of $10, so for episodes 2 and 3, I will increase the budget to $20 per episode. How I use it, you’ll need to find out from episodes 2 and 3. One thing is sure: it will be a HODL.
Thanks for leaving a detailed comment. If you know, I give 1 Drawmatic to one lucky person per blog. It seems you won this blog's lucky comment reward. What's Drawmatic? It's a lottery that never expires and forever grows. So hold tight; maybe you’ll win big someday. I think you already received a few gifts from my side. If not Drawmatic, then SBI for sure. Karma pays back. You spent time reading and making me feel better. I hope you win big one day from Drawmatic. The way it's designed, you can buy one for yourself and one for a nominee at the same price: 1 Hive for 2 Drawmatic tokens. HP is staked forever, and its curation rewards are powered down. Instead of giving to all delegators, it pays to one delegator all the Hive. So it's a lottery that never expires and forever grows.
Quick reply :) No worries on 9 days to get a reply, I'm patient and you are very busy.
I don't know if I'll ever be inspiration for someone who is poor as every story is unique. However, if someone finds solace in knowing that someone else started collecting garbage and is now financially secure then I'd smile knowing my trials helped someone else.
As for those who were my friends from back in University? There were four of them. Tim, Cam, Mike and Jason.
Tim is one I no longer have contact with. Long and somewhat sad story about choosing the right person as a mate.
Cam I visited just last Monday. I still consider him a good friend but he never had children. It may seem like a small thing but a family man and a man without children have little in common and its hard to spend time together. Now that my children have grown, well, its time to start our friendship again.
Mike I have not seen for a long time. He has had a hard road. Having a child that is on the spectrum (autism) makes things challenging. Having a wife who cheated on him and raised his children in a questionable manner made it even harder. He shut himself off from the world for a while needing time to heal, however, he has started to rekindle old friendships and I'm looking forward to getting together with him soon.
I wish I could say that Jason was still a friend of mine. He had a genius that I wish I could someday compare to....but I'm not even close (and I won a Governor General award for academic achievement in 1987...proof available on the government website....although it was only a bronze award). He recently lost a battle with cancer and the world lost a wonderful person.
If you are curious perhaps I could find a picture of the crew from 30 years ago (when I was about your age)
As for the drawmatic and crowdventure...maybe you could send me a tag when the updates come out :)
Have a great day.
Yup, I am curious. :)