Beggars Can Be Choosers

A beggar met me with a weathered gaze and palms open at the 7-11 on Nu'uanu. I had just finished a long day at work and I said, rather brusquely, "You need to get a job."

I almost immediately felt pangs of remorse - 'Was I too harsh?'. I began lightly berating myself for being uncompassionate.

Moments later, a child with her father bought a banana at the counter and brought it him. To the little girl's surprise, the man in rags refused her food offering. "I want money," he said with an upturned nose.

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Giving to those who beg is a personal decision. However, I find that the general public doesn't understand that the majority of these folks have the following:

1. General Assistance ($)

2. Subsidized Rent

3. Discounted/Free Transportation (e.g. TheBus vouchers)

4. Medicaid

5. SNAP/Food Stamps

The list of government and other types of organizational aid goes on. This doesn't mean that the neediest of us don't deserve help; however, we must ask ourselves: Is a handout the most effective way to do it?

When I lived in Manila, I found that there was no safety net for the poor. I met a woman named Sally who had eight children. She bought gum and candies in bulk and sold them piece by piece for a tiny profit, under a highway overpass in Makati. One evening, I said to her, "You work too late, go home." She replied thoothily, "I cannot go home until I've made enough to buy rice for my family."

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The other night, I told my friends, "If Jesus were alive today, he'd be a Republican." They broke out in laughter but I was dead serious. I cited the Parable of the Talents as proof that we have an obligation to use our God-given abilities. If we refuse to apply ourselves, we are considered "wicked" and "slothful".

Jesus does not play.

In all seriousness, this tenet of Personal Responsibility isn't new; it's existed since the world began. Think about it: In the millions of years of life on earth, which organisms have survived to pass on their genes? (Hint: Not the lazy ones.)

Here's my final thought: Charles Darwin's "On the Origin of Species" published in 1859, was initially rejected and ridiculed by the archaic scientific community. It introduced the theory of Natural Selection which posited that only the fittest individuals survive and reproduce. While appalling to the 19th century man, the modern world now accepts evolution as a fact and it is taught in nearly every educational institution (including my alma mater, BYU-Provo).

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We need to hold our society to a higher standard and accept the facts. Allowing the must vulnerable of us to run amok in the streets, without any discipline, is only exacerbating our problems. When we let people think they can beg for breadcrumbs, they end up begging for breadcrumbs all their lives, never realizing that they were meant to be something more.

Therefore, I'd urge you not to give coin to the panhandler at 7-11 on Nu'uanu. However, if you are a bleeding heart and just can't help yourself, do not waste your money on a banana.

Happy Aloha Friday!