"v. 16 And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.
v. 17 Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just—
v. 18 But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God."
We often hear the debate at church about whether or not the beggar is really begging and in need, or if he's just scamming you, or the fact that maybe the beggar is going to buy alcohol or drugs with your money. King Benjamin clearly states that as long as we're willing to give, then it doesn't matter if the beggar is misleading us or not.
The reason I bring up these two conflicting beliefs is because of an experience I had tonight. The doorbell rang in the middle of dinner which happens rarely, so I answered it. In front of me was a middle aged man clutching a clipboard, wearing a grimey hoody with an ID tag on it. He spoke in a way that made me wonder if maybe he wasn't perhaps less well endowed in the intellect department. He told me he was the paper deliverer, and that he was trying to boost his subscriptions. Evidently the local paper has cut a portion of its publications that made up fifty percent of our paper carrier's income. As a consequence he was trying to make up the deficit by getting the neighborhood to subscribe at a discounted rate to the Sunday paper. I felt really sorry for the guy, and his pitch was such that I was really having a hard time saying no. I don't really have the time to read the paper, despite my belief that newspapers are essential in a democracy (that's another topic for another time). As students as well, our budget is pretty tight, and the newspaper is a luxury I don't think we can afford.
I demurred to his offer, though I wished him luck in his endeavors and hoped he would find enough subscribers to make ends meet. Here I had been presented by the real face of the current economic downturn. The man had not chosen for the newspaper to stop a portion of its publications, and given his modest intellectual endowment, might only be able to be a paper deliverer. I realize that I have probably given too much weight to the "everyone can pull themselves up by their bootstraps" portion of my dichotomous beliefs, though this man epitomizes that ethos since he was actively trying legitimately increase his income.
As I closed the door, I thought of the inflated comparisons between the current recession and the Great Depression, and as the door shut it seemed to me as though I had just said "no" in response to the song of the 30's, "Brother, can you spare a dime?" In my head I justified my refusal of the subscription because we don't have a lot of money, but in reality, I could probably have found enough to help the guy out. Next time I won't say 'no', if he asks me if I can spare a dime.
-SS.
v. 18 But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God."
We often hear the debate at church about whether or not the beggar is really begging and in need, or if he's just scamming you, or the fact that maybe the beggar is going to buy alcohol or drugs with your money. King Benjamin clearly states that as long as we're willing to give, then it doesn't matter if the beggar is misleading us or not.
The reason I bring up these two conflicting beliefs is because of an experience I had tonight. The doorbell rang in the middle of dinner which happens rarely, so I answered it. In front of me was a middle aged man clutching a clipboard, wearing a grimey hoody with an ID tag on it. He spoke in a way that made me wonder if maybe he wasn't perhaps less well endowed in the intellect department. He told me he was the paper deliverer, and that he was trying to boost his subscriptions. Evidently the local paper has cut a portion of its publications that made up fifty percent of our paper carrier's income. As a consequence he was trying to make up the deficit by getting the neighborhood to subscribe at a discounted rate to the Sunday paper. I felt really sorry for the guy, and his pitch was such that I was really having a hard time saying no. I don't really have the time to read the paper, despite my belief that newspapers are essential in a democracy (that's another topic for another time). As students as well, our budget is pretty tight, and the newspaper is a luxury I don't think we can afford.
I demurred to his offer, though I wished him luck in his endeavors and hoped he would find enough subscribers to make ends meet. Here I had been presented by the real face of the current economic downturn. The man had not chosen for the newspaper to stop a portion of its publications, and given his modest intellectual endowment, might only be able to be a paper deliverer. I realize that I have probably given too much weight to the "everyone can pull themselves up by their bootstraps" portion of my dichotomous beliefs, though this man epitomizes that ethos since he was actively trying legitimately increase his income.
As I closed the door, I thought of the inflated comparisons between the current recession and the Great Depression, and as the door shut it seemed to me as though I had just said "no" in response to the song of the 30's, "Brother, can you spare a dime?" In my head I justified my refusal of the subscription because we don't have a lot of money, but in reality, I could probably have found enough to help the guy out. Next time I won't say 'no', if he asks me if I can spare a dime.
-SS.
3 comments:
I read a fantastic book this week about the deterioration of Detroit called "The Origins of the Urban Crisis." It isn't exactly related to what you wrote about, except in the feeling horrible for the less fortunate in our country department and wishing you could do more. On one hand I'm against bailing out auto companies that build cars nobody wants to buy but on the other hand we're talking about losing even more jobs for people who lack the means to seek other employment. The automakers have left Detroit for the most part and the only people that are left are those too poor to move. It makes me feel awful just thinking about it.
History is depressing, but so is the present day.
The scriptures also that everything has its own season and time. This experience is a good one to tuck back into your memories and realize that your season for helping is still to come. Once through school (and loans) you will be in a position to help many people.
PS I think Dan and Maggie are so lucky to have friends like you. Dan's sister, Heather
I spent $40 on some crappy cleaner last summer because I felt so bad for the guy selling it. It's much easier to say no to the well dressed foreign "college student" then to someone who looks like they really need the money. I wonder if the shabby, feel bad for me look is part of the sales pitch?
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