He was hungry. If you were empathetic you would understand why he was upset. Could he have been more appreciative? Yes.
This guy is not homeless by choice. Did you telll him you didn't have anything on you, or did you think he wasn't worth your breath?
Huh? This isn't India or some other third world country. Homeless people in the US are homeless because of their decisions.
Do you really think this? Got his from ... http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/publications/allpubs/homelessness/#why Why are so many people homeless? The reasons that people become homeless are as varied and complex as the individuals themselves. Several structural factors contribute greatly to homelessness: Poverty. In 1996, the median monthly income for people who were homeless was $300, which is only 44 percent of the Federal poverty level for a single adult. Losses in the numbers of manufacturing and industrial jobs, combined with an 18 percent decline in the real value of the minimum wage between 1979 and 1997, have left significant numbers of people without a livable income. Housing. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates that there are 5 million households in the U.S. with incomes below 50 percent of the local median that pay more than half of their income for rent or that live in severely substandard housing. This is made worse by a 5 percent decline since 1991 in the number of housing units affordable to extremely low-income households, a loss of more than 370,000 units. Federal rental assistance has not been able to bridge the gap; the average wait for Section 8 rental assistance is now 28 months. Disability. People with disabilities who are unable to work and must rely on entitlements such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) can find it virtually impossible to find affordable housing. In 2000, the federal SSI benefit was $512 per month, which would not cover the cost of an efficiency or one-bedroom apartment in any major housing market in the country. There are also several individual factors that may increase a person's risk for becoming homeless and remaining homeless for a longer period of time: Untreated mental illness can cause individuals to become paranoid, anxious, or depressed, making it difficult or impossible to maintain employment, pay bills, or keep supportive social relationships. Substance abuse can drain financial resources, erode supportive social relationships, and make exiting from homelessness extremely difficult. Co-occurring disorders. Individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders are among the most difficult groups to put in stable housing and treat. This is due to the limited availability of integrated mental health and substance abuse treatment in most locations. Other circumstances. People may become homeless for a variety of other reasons, including divorce or separation, domestic violence, chronic or unexpected health care expenses, release from incarceration, or release from foster care.
What if he was grateful your girlfriend gave him change, but he was upset you wouldn't give him anything. It must suck to go up to two complete strangers explaining how you're starving and need money to get something to eat. If you gave him a quarter he would have had enough to get something off of any value menu. You need to go to downtown more and you will see they are not homeless by choice.
To clarify, very few homeless are homeless by choice, but most homeless are homeless due to their making bad choices.
The OP didn't actually give the guy the money, it was his girlfriend. He's the one that got pissed off though.
Obviously they made bad decisions. Though stupid, it likely wasn't their intention for a few decisions to lead them down the wrong path. If a middle-class high school basketball star starts using heroin and quits the team and his mom kicks him out of the house and he ends up pushing drug dealers off of buildings with Marky Mark. I'm sure that wasn't his envision for the rest of his life the first time he did heroin.
This thread reminds me of the guy who was complaining that he emailed Clutch 4 times about his $1 donation to the tip jar and was upset that he hadn't received contributing member status. Remember, a large number of homeless people do have mental disorders and were maybe not raised the same way you were. Don't get so upset over their behavior. Don't let the fear that homeless men will just buy alcohol and cigarettes with your donation keep you from giving money to them. There are a lot of them who don't do that. How can you judge what they will do with the money without knowing? They have swallowed their pride to beg you for money, and they are less fortunate than you. These verses makes me sick of how little I have done to help those around me. Matthew 25:42-45 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ 44“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ 45“He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
Thank you rocketgirl, this is exactly towards what I was leaning to. What good is it for us to give to those who will then praise us... Its always easy to love those who love us back... But its hard to still love those who dont appriciate, love, and praise us for our deeds.
Yes! Giving without expectation is a key. That's a good look at the giver's standpoint. But, let's look at the receiver. No verbal thanks. No appreciation. Nothing but distain and audacity. Who raised their kids to be like this? Screw that particular homeless man.
