Should you give money to people on the street?
An easy way to practice compassion in the new year
When you pull up at a red light and there’s someone on the street with a sign saying “Anything helps,” how do you respond?
This used to be a big question for me. I went back and forth for years about what the “right” response was. Do I give them money or keep going about my day?
I used to think about this a lot, as if I was enrolled in some moral philosophy class that took place only in my head. The debate — to give or not to give — would begin anew each time I passed someone asking for money.
“They obviously need help,” I would think, “but anything I can offer would be insignificant. Also, this is a structural problem, at best my dollar would be a Band-Aid. Besides, what are they going to spend it on? Should I offer to buy them food? Or is that none of my business?” And so on…
By the time the internal dialogue began, it was irrelevant. The moment would pass. The light would turn green and I would be a block away, hurtling on with the rest of my day. Sometimes I felt sad. I often felt guilty or ashamed. I always felt frustrated.
Then one day, almost two years ago, something shifted. I’m not sure what it was, but I made a simple decision: from then on if…
