LIVE from the Camino Musings on our morality, live from SdC

[Satírico]

Greetings,

Sorry if I said my previous post was my last. This is it: finally final.

I´m still in SdC and mulling over something I overheard the other day. Compostela has its share of beggars, either actively approaching tourists for support or else kneeling and frozen in an attitude of supplication, as if they had stepped right off a church fresco. One does, or one doesn´t, or one doesn´t any more, give.

I was sitting in a tapas bar, eating and drinking. Some young pilgrims came in, from a certain country, in high spirits. Their voices being overheard, a much older man, of the same nation, approaches:

"Have you just done The Camino de Santiago?"
"Yes...?"
"We would like to buy you lunch...Will you let us buy you lunch?"
(awkward, incredulous silence)
Older Man: "Look, it's not gonna hurt you. We'd like to buy you lunch."
Group of Young Pilgrims: "Why?"
Older Man: "TO BE NICE."

I believe the offer was accepted, cheerfully.

The first reaction is, or was, Aww, isn' t that nice. So fitting. But later, the second response and I am troubled by what I overheard. Yes, some of the beggars in Santiago are plainly addicts, but does that make their need of support any less real? Even if they offend our sensibilities or our eyes, their need is greater than that of a group of healthy, young, precocious compañeros from a wealthy country. The older man's nationality. That's when I felt that this act of generosity was not motivated solely by niceness, generosity of spirit, but by chauvinism; or is jingoism the better word? Fresh-faced fellows from his country appealed to him more than the raggedy look of genuinely troubled souls. There was an undertow of...hostility in his reaction to the group's surprise at his offering.

Thanks to him, I now feel compelled to give again, however many times, so should I thank him for pointing me in this direction?

Just a thought amongst a billion others on the web.

Buen camino, peregrinos.

 

[Deleted member 36903]

Philip347 Thank you this post. You have a hit a real nerve. Thank you for being brave enough to bring up this subject of the beggars in Santiago. I did not give money to the young woman you describe
as 'kneeling and frozen in an attitude of supplication' even in the pouring rain, but I was bothered by my failure to do so. I usually do give to beggars whenever I am able to regardless of what it will be spent on (although hoping it will be food) because I can understand the need to numb the pain of a situation apparently without hope. My hesitation with regard to this young woman was prompted by a feeling that she was being utilised to raise money by others and that what was given to her would not stay with her but become part of the 'revenue' of the equivalent of a pimp; that she was part of some scheme of servitude. If I was wrong then I sincerely regret my un-Christian actions. The image of her kneeling in the rain with arms outstretched has stayed with me continuing to make me feel bad about my inaction.

 

[C clearly]

I admit that I sometimes have similar unkind thoughts about the motives and nationalities of other people. However, I realize that my own motives are likely no purer than those I criticize. I wish you had posed the question only in terms of your personal quandary.

 

[Bradypus]

Reading through your account I wonder if the older man making the kind offer was simply hoping to learn something about the experience of walking the Camino and saw an opportunity in some younger people with whom he shares a common language and cultural frame of reference? Some people who might be easy to talk with. Perhaps he also saw an opportunity to express some genuine admiration for the younger pilgrims' efforts. I doubt if the generous impulse ever passed through any mental filter of "should I give to these people or to the beggars outside?" If so then I would not consider the encounter to be chauvinistic or jingoistic. As for the hesitation and brief pause from the recipients: aren't most of us occasionally suspicious of apparently random acts of generosity? Even a month on the Camino can't quite beat the cynicism out of me.

 

[ess1113]

I encountered the beggars also in exactly the same position.
I walked past them without remorse until I started thinking about it.
Now in retrospect, walking past them without any action was, for myself, the antithesis of what my personal Camino was about.
That being said, it is my resolve to not judge them, or others, by the same callous eye I had in the past. Right or wrong, deserving or undeserving, I will give them something. It is not for me to judge. I only hope others don't judge me as rashly as I was guilty of in those instances.

 

[Tia Valeria]

There was a particular beggar, holding a bag out, that we saw in Santiago and at the time we had virtually no money anyway as we needed to visit the ATM. I was saddened later in the day to see the same beggar giving the bag to a very well dressed and bejewelled lady. We learnt many years ago to give practical aid, such as food, and not money. That Santiago experience makes me feel that this is still the best way to help those in genuine need, without wondering if the recipient will actually benefit.
IMO the offering of the meal to the pilgrims group is very different

 

[CdnDreamer]

When I was going on the camino, some friends and co-workers gave me things - not because I couldn't afford to buy them, but so they could feel they were a part of the journey. Perhaps buying lunch for a group of pilgrims gave that man the ability to feel part of their celebration. There are many reasons why we give of ourselves and of our possessions. But if you took it as a lesson to give to the poor, that's okay too.

 

[beiramar]

This is maybe a hot topic, but a lot of beggars from some Eastern European countries are apparently victims of human trafficking.
Some criminal organizations do search for people with disabilities or missing limbs and promise them a better future in another country.
Next thing they know, they are being forced to beg and are being held as captives, all money taken away from them.
I have read about this in different sources and From different countries, such as Sweden such as in Germany, Spain, Portugal and Norway.

For myself, the only solution to end this type of human trafficking is to not give them money. Criminals would possibly quickly lose their interest, if they couldn't afford a Mercedes from this type of "income"?

 

[MichaelB10398]

How an individual spends their money is none of my business. I am not in control of their money and therefore it is irrelevant. If one wishes to give to a beggar or a person at the next table it is their choice.

In my town, Seattle, we have a lot of beggars. When I worked downtown I knew who where professional beggars and who were the new ones. What I learned, as others have said, was to stop and talk with them and take them to a place and buy food or clothing for them if they wanted it. I seldom gave money.

I have known people who enjoyed buying food for others - like in a drive-up window of a fast food place - buying the food for the mom and three children behind them. I always appreciated it, particularly when you can tell the people behind them would also appreciate it.

Do what you think is right, but never forget that treating them as worthwhile individuals is the first step - talk to them, look them in the eye regardless if you give money or not.

 

[Pelegrin]

Beggars around the cathedral is a tradition even before the Camino relaunching. I remenber some photos of Santiago from 1920 that a member put on this forum One photo showed three Galician women barefoot and wearing poor dresses standing near the cathedral. At first I didn´t understand how those women could visit the cathedral dressed in that way. But finally I understood.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Is any of this similar to pilgrims expecting donativo albergues?

 

[ranthr]

In town/cities on the camino I expect beggars like everywhere else. In Norway we are " very human" to beggars, so they come from all Europe. Last year in spring on my camino I noticed that this fellowperegrino was a beggar in all pueblos on the way. My bad concience troubled me a bit. Did he have to beg or was this a cheap way of doing a camino, while other save for a long time to afford it? Well, I never got the answer. Should perhaps have asked!

 

[Satírico]

Thank you for the replies. Much food for reflection.

 

[Satírico]

Philip347 Thank you this post. You have a hit a real nerve. Thank you for being brave enough to bring up this subject of the beggars in Santiago. I did not give money to the young woman you describe
as 'kneeling and frozen in an attitude of supplication' even in the pouring rain, but I was bothered by my failure to do so. I usually do give to beggars whenever I am able to regardless of what it will be spent on (although hoping it will be food) because I can understand the need to numb the pain of a situation apparently without hope. My hesitation with regard to this young woman was prompted by a feeling that she was being utilised to raise money by others and that what was given to her would not stay with her but become part of the 'revenue' of the equivalent of a pimp; that she was part of some scheme of servitude. If I was wrong then I sincerely regret my un-Christian actions. The image of her kneeling in the rain with arms outstretched has stayed with me continuing to make me feel bad about my inaction.

Thanks for your considerate reply.

 

[HeidiL]

I am troubled by the thought that some people have such horrible lives in their home countries that they feel that it's better to come to rich countries to beg. And yet, I have three times had food and bad words thrown after me when I bought a beggar food instead of giving them money - including the young man kneeling near Plaza de Callao in Madrid, shouting "!Tengo hambre!" ("I am hungry!"). He clearly did NOT want the bocadillo and apple I handed him, since he threw them in my face with a lot of angry J-words.

 

[Mark Lee]

I am wondering, how do you know for a fact that the older gentleman did not give any beggars there in SDC money? You simply saw him for an instant. One small moment of his life. No telling who the man is, or to what charities he may give to. What he does for a living or how many people he may have helped in his life. You are judging him based on a single, short one dimensional observation you had of him.
I'm sensing a bit more in your post, than just whether or not someone may or may not have dropped a few coins in a beggar's cup....
And yes, beggars are often victim's of traffickers who use them to get money. It is quite common. The trafficker, not the beggar profits from it.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Because of the trafficking, and not wanting to ignore people's needs, at home one of my annual donations is to a food bank/shelter. That takes care of my guilt. On top of this I make sure I acknowledge the person asking by not ignoring them even if I don't give. And when particularly touched I will ask the person if there anything else but money they need. If they have a dog, for example, I will go home and get food for both.

I remember taking a beggar back to his house in the middle of winter, with his two dogs in my car. He told me on the way how he was hooked on pot and makes more money begging, and doesn't have to hold a work schedule that interferes with his pot needs. But he had a flat, played videogames on his console, and was an ace at pirating movies off the web...

But what do I know about addiction? And yet I appease my own guilt by giving to organisations that I am convinced served a healthy meal, offer a bunk and a warm shower, but may not help with addiction and the pain substances may be used to forget, at least for a shoet time.

Now, how offering lunch to a bunch of young people of onés nationality has to do with beggars, I don't understand.

Nor do I understand how offering lunch to fellow compatriots equates with not helping those in need.

 

[Robo]

A tough call. We also saw the beggars last month. As we did everywhere else post Camino around Europe. I asked a café owner in Paris about it, as we wondered about a family of 4 sitting on the street corner opposite. "merde" he spat out...... "Gypsies from Rumania........they are always here"

I have no idea still of their circumstances. But it looked suspicious for a number of reasons I won't go into.

It's hard for us all to sort the 'real' beggars from the 'professional' beggars wherever we may be. Living in Bangkok for part of the year, where there are lots of beggars and the local culture perhaps looks more kindly on beggars than in the West, I give daily to beggars. But I have a better sense of who the real ones are. (there are mob gangs who 'bus' beggars into town every day)

We gave to one or two in Santiago, who we suspected might be in real need. Who knows...

With regard to the older man giving to his young countrymen, I wouldn't read anything into that. We have to remember than the 'giver' receives as much if not more joy than the 'receiver' when we give to others. So it was perhaps for his own 'feel good' factor more than anything. And as others have said, he may have wanted to hear first hand about the journey from his younger countryman and in effect give them a 'pat on the back' for completing the journey. And as also remarked above, he might well have given to beggars that he came across in his travels, or support numerous charitable organisations back home...

One of the key lessons in walking the Camino. Don't be too quick to judge others

 

[Albertagirl]

I am impressed by how people are moving in this thread from the tendency to judge a particular incident to questioning one's own response to beggars in Spain, especially in Santiago de Compostela. Some of us may be asking ourselves how we have progressed in compassion in the course of walking the camino. If we walk the camino as a journey of the spirit, our progress may be shown in how we care for, and about, the most needy among us. I offer no easy answers, but I consider it worthwhile to ask myself this difficult question and look at what I can learn from reflecting on my own behaviour. I know that on the camino, as at home, I was stressed by my feeling that I cannot respond to all the beggars who make demands on me. I want to keep some of my resources for myself and I justify this to myself by judging the worthiness of some of those who make demands on me. I can't go anywhere with this without shifting into theology, so shall leave it there.

 

[CaptBuddy]

The beggars are at the doorway to a symbol, an outpost if you will, of one of the greatest accumulations of wealth the world has ever known.
No judgement, just fact.

 

[Mark Lee]

I've always been a believer of talk being cheap. The old bit of action speaking louder than words. Don't bring up a problem unless you have a solution.
One thing I noticed traveling throughout SW Asia was the water wells put in by various organizations to help needier areas and communities who would otherwise do without. Anytime I hear someone bringing up observations of the poor, the needy and how it seems like nobody is out there helping them, I always think to myself "stop your whining, shut up and go dig a water well for somebody that needs it"....

 

[Robo]

I always think to myself "stop your whining, shut up and go dig a water well for somebody that needs it"....

We do. Provide wells, in East Africa, amongst other things

Please forgive this 'plug' but I think it might be of genuine interest to members here who are perhaps small to medium size business owners. We belong to an organisation that facilitates our charity giving to hundreds of 'audited' worthy causes around the World. Giving can be just a few cents or as much as you like. The concept is, that every time you have a transaction with one of your customers, part of the income goes to a charity of your choice. Every cent you give, goes to those in need, not overheads and 'marketing'.

I won't say any more here. Other than I have been a member for 4 years and everyone in our company loves the concept. So do our clients. And of course we get to help a lot of people. A lot....

If you want any more information just PM me.

Dear Mods. If this breaks any advertising rules, I'm sorry. Please feel free to delete the post, I quite understand.

 

[Nanc]

We have all had moments of being touched (seeing one of our own nationality in another country?) Catching one smile out of a crowd. Stopping to help a specific individual struggling. All the while by-passing hundreds of other smiles, others in need of an emotional or financial lift. I see the older man's offer to buy dinner as the gift it is. It is not lessened or misdirected by all the other opportunties out there.
I would hope that any effort i made to help, touch, see, engage another could rest on its own and not be denegrated by what i didn't do.
If i stopped to think of all i SHOULD be doing for the less fortunate, i'd have to cancel my Canino and donate the airfare to more charities!!

 

[Sarah80]

We have a big problem with beggars in Barcelona, yes, around the cathedral and the tourist hotspots but also just around the normal streets where the Catalans live, in my neighbourhood, Sant Antoni.

I give to the local homeless but even these are not Spanish or Catalans, of course a foreign person could come here and fall on hard times just as anyone else. There's a young Romanian girl who is 18, perfectly healthy but told me this is how she prefers to live, she has a place to go, but she accepts the food I buy her if I'm passing and I've seen her eating that - begging is just how she makes her money! I don't know what I think about that or my giving to her as I don't give to the tourist beggars with the missing limbs but do give to the beggars in tourist areas that seem genuine.

There's no way to know for sure if someone's genuine and even when I know for sure that it's just a lifestyle choice - there are occasions, esp as she's an 18 y.o in a foreign country, that I know and still give. Am I perpetuating her choice? What if I am, is her choice 'wrong' - she's not aggressive she doesn't shake a tin, she sits there, even without a sign. Should I be passing that money/food to someone more deserving? There have been times in this city I've been approached by so many beggars at a cafe that I ran out of cash to give and then wished I'd given less to the first so I had more to give to the last. Must be some lessons in that about discernment... But then we're judging again. It's so difficult

I think my giving tends to be based on 'who is pulling my heart strings' & my mood at that moment - the guy who bought his compatriots dinner recognised his younger self and got the most pleasure from giving to them.

 

[BrienC]

IMHO, the OP makes a rather large leap from observing someone doing a good deed, whatever the motivations, to thinking he a bad person for not giving to street beggars, which may or may not be true.

I've always been a believer of talk being cheap. The old bit of action speaking louder than words. Don't bring up a problem unless you have a solution.

I agree wholeheartedly with Mark on this one. Service work that I have done abroad has been very gratifying. It's an amazing experience working alongside locals to improve their community and their future, giving a few dollars and a few days, hopefully giving opportunity to others so they do not have the need of handouts. Other than the noted few that want to experience such an existence, who would want to be a "beggar?" It's a job--if you have no other.

 

[t2andreo]

I have previously run afoul of the forum moderators on this issue, so I will VERY CAREFULLY choose my words this go-round.

Based on five trips to Santiago, four after Camino and two as a voluntario (one a combination trip), I have spent a couple of months in the city. I will offer two observations based on direct observation, and upon conversations I had with various local citizens.

1. No one in Spain, or virtually any other Western European country, lacks for the basic necessities of life. Comprehensive social welfare schemes in all the countries provide housing, health-care, food, and some even provide a semi-annual clothing allowance. The generosity varies from country to country. However, most all of the "safety-net" programs do not provide funding for "personal luxury" items like tobacco, alcohol, pets, or fuel for motor vehicles.

Some people, as a result, and if the "touristas" are present, will seek to augment their safety-net entitlement payments by panhandling / begging. Still, and all, I do admit that it is tough to see someone who could be my 80-something parents sitting on the sidewalk with a cup or bowl. Worse yet, is when they use a pet as a prop to instill sympathy. However, I have a rapidly diminishing sympathy for anyone who appears to be relatively youthful, or able-bodied engaging in this pastime. Frankly, it angers me.

2. (This is the bit that got me into trouble the last time, so this time I am very carefully choosing my words).

In Santiago de Compostela, there is an extended family (it looks like at least three generations to me) that makes its' living begging, usually on their knees around the Cathedral. They alternate positions every couple of hours. The more elderly members of the family gravitate to chairs or rock walls at the South transept entrance to, and North transept exit from the Cathedral.

The relatively younger members of the family usually place themselves at the maximum traffic "choke-points" at: on the right-side just before the arch on the North-side of the Cathedral on Rua da Acibecheria; just outside the West-side of the cathedral, near the corner of Rua de Fonseca; and on the South-side of the Cathedral on the Rua de Fonseca, near the corner facing the fountain. This means that there are usually at least five family members "at work."

As I said, they change positions periodically to give the impression that they do not do this full-time. The funny bit is that all the family members actually resemble each other, as family members usually do. So, it is not difficult to make the correlation.

Three years ago, while I was at Santiago for a week, it was a notable busker, a local person who regularly plays fabulous music for change, and to sell CDs, who clued me into the scam. I will not name the person, although I do know exactly who this was and is. The music continues, and each time I am in Santiago de Compostela, I make it a point to seek this person out. The ensuing concert is well worth my small investment.

Anyway, according to this source, this family lives in the suburbs of Santiago in a very nice home. They are dropped off at work each morning by another family member in a very nice, recent model passenger van-type vehicle. The driver departs in the vehicle. According to my informed source, the driver actually holds a normal job out of town. The family is known locally. As they have a legal right to do what they do, the authorities choose not to hassle them. And, as they may be whiny and plaintive, they are not generally dangerous to the public. So, the official position appears to be "live and let live."

For what it is worth, two years ago, while working in the Pilgrim Office on an early morning shift, I personally witnessed the driver fellow dropping off five family members at the base of the Praza Obradoiro, at the Rua de Carretas intersection. So, at least that much of the story I was told is verified. I clearly recall that the vehicle was clean, and in good repair. The family members exited the vehicle and separated towards their assigned locations, at the top of the ramp, in front of the Parador.

I offer this merely as a backstop to several of the stories recounted above. All said, panhandling or begging when one is not genuinely destitute, is part of the human condition. As long as there are sympathetic people willing to donate to them, the people involved in this activity will continue to accept the donations. As one such person told me years ago in Brussels when I challenged him, "...hey if you are stupid enough to give your money to me, I am smart enough to take it..."

I hope this helps the dialog in some small part.

 

[Satírico]

I am wondering, how do you know for a fact that the older gentleman did not give any beggars there in SDC money? You simply saw him for an instant. One small moment of his life. No telling who the man is, or to what charities he may give to. What he does for a living or how many people he may have helped in his life. You are judging him based on a single, short one dimensional observation you had of him.
I'm sensing a bit more in your post, than just whether or not someone may or may not have dropped a few coins in a beggar's cup....
And yes, beggars are often victim's of traffickers who use them to get money. It is quite common. The trafficker, not the beggar profits from it.

YOU are sensing a bit more in MY post?
But anyway, thanks for your stimulating contribution to the thread; thoughtful and, as usual, a tad smug. You are right, of course, I only heard the guy for a brief time (more than an 'instant') and there is no real reason to assume that he did not give to the beggars, as well as to the young peregrinos. Like the scene I witnessed, writing the 'OP' was the work of a short interval and we shouldn't be too quick to judge others based on little evidence.

Happy trails.

 

[Satírico]

IMHO, the OP makes a rather large leap from observing someone doing a good deed, whatever the motivations, to thinking he a bad person for not giving to street beggars, which may or may not be true.
I agree wholeheartedly with Mark on this one. Service work that I have done abroad has been very gratifying. It's an amazing experience working alongside locals to improve their community and their future, giving a few dollars and a few days, hopefully giving opportunity to others so they do not have the need of handouts. Other than the noted few that want to experience such an existence, who would want to be a "beggar?" It's a job--if you have no other.

Does OP indicate my post which began the thread?

If so, I think my contribution is misread. I was only musing on what might lie behind the decision to reward a small group of people in their early 20s, manifestly not in need of support, financial or otherwise. But I also continually question my own motives for writing the OP and would delete it if I could.

 

[Albertagirl]

Does OP indicate my post which began the thread?

If so, I think my contribution is misread. I was only musing on what might lie behind the decision to reward a small group of people in their early 20s, manifestly not in need of support, financial or otherwise. But I also continually question my own motives for writing the OP and would delete it if I could.

@Philip347:
You began an interesting thread which has given some of us a chance to reflect on a topic which has been part of many caminos. But I know what it is like to feel that one has somehow become a target of critical comments. Thank you, nonetheless, for helping me to think about my own policy and practice of charitable donations.

 

[Mark Lee]

Does OP indicate my post which began the thread?

If so, I think my contribution is misread. I was only musing on what might lie behind the decision to reward a small group of people in their early 20s, manifestly not in need of support, financial or otherwise. But I also continually question my own motives for writing the OP and would delete it if I could.

A few years ago when I was in Asia I saw some young troops come into the bar where we were tipping back a few (they were part of some joint naval exercises off the coast). I bought them a couple of rounds. Sure, they were not in any need of me buying them some beer. I'm sure they could afford their own drinks, and didn't need some old, middle-aged dude buying them any, but I did it because I wanted to. Saw a bit of myself in them. Made me feel good to buy them the beer. I never saw it as a reward. Just my little way of showing them gratitude. That's what people do sometimes. Back in the day a couple of times my money was no good in a bar as well when someone else covered our round.
Certainly not comparing peregrinos to troops on exercises, but I'm sure the older gentleman bought them lunch because it made him feel good.

 

[James R B]

Good intentions pave the way to Hell.

 

[Kent Davis]

Very good points Mark Lee.
OP - I would suggest reading the book When Helping Hurts which may or may not change your viewpoint on the moral response to beggers. It's not an easy read and I find myself falling short of its premise, but it may change your viewpoint on the topic you raised.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Good intentions pave the way to Hell.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions is a proverb or aphorism. An alternative form is "hell is full of good meanings, but heaven is full of good works".

Origin
The saying is thought to have originated with Saint Bernard of Clairvaux who wrote (c. 1150), "L'enfer est plein de bonnes volontés ou désirs" (hell is full of good wishes or desires). An earlier saying occurs in Virgil's Aeneid: "facilis descensus Averno (the descent to hell is easy)".

Meaning
One meaning of the phrase is that individuals may have the intention to undertake good actions but nevertheless fail to take action. This inaction may be due to procrastination, laziness or other subversive vice. As such, the saying is an admonishment that a good intention is meaningless unless followed through.

A different interpretation of the saying is wrongdoings or evil actions are often masked by good intentions, or even that good intentions, when acted upon, may have unforeseen bad consequences.

 

[James R B]

The road to hell is paved with good intentions is a proverb or aphorism. An alternative form is "hell is full of good meanings, but heaven is full of good works".

Origin
The saying is thought to have originated with Saint Bernard of Clairvaux who wrote (c. 1150), "L'enfer est plein de bonnes volontés ou désirs" (hell is full of good wishes or desires). An earlier saying occurs in Virgil's Aeneid: "facilis descensus Averno (the descent to hell is easy)".

Meaning
One meaning of the phrase is that individuals may have the intention to undertake good actions but nevertheless fail to take action. This inaction may be due to procrastination, laziness or other subversive vice. As such, the saying is an admonishment that a good intention is meaningless unless followed through.

A different interpretation of the saying is wrongdoings or evil actions are often masked by good intentions, or even that good intentions, when acted upon, may have unforeseen bad consequences.

Thank you for taking me to school.My apologizes for being an idiot.

 

[C clearly]

Thank you for taking me to school.My apologizes for being an idiot.

?
I thought the additional information and alternative phrases were interesting.

 

[Deni Dawgs]

Reading through your account I wonder if the older man making the kind offer was simply hoping to learn something about the experience of walking the Camino and saw an opportunity in some younger people with whom he shares a common language and cultural frame of reference? Some people who might be easy to talk with. Perhaps he also saw an opportunity to express some genuine admiration for the younger pilgrims' efforts. I doubt if the generous impulse ever passed through any mental filter of "should I give to these people or to the beggars outside?" If so then I would not consider the encounter to be chauvinistic or jingoistic. As for the hesitation and brief pause from the recipients: aren't most of us occasionally suspicious of apparently random acts of generosity? Even a month on the Camino can't quite beat the cynicism out of me.

I think a hesitation on the part of the recipients is normal. I offered a paperback book I'd finished to someone in tthe street and they immediately thought it was a begging scam. I just didn't want to carry the weight!

 

[Robo]

Good intentions pave the way to Hell.

Not sure I get that You mean it's not good to do good things ?

OK, just read Falcons post

 

[Maryimelda]

When I see the beggars wherever they may be around the world I am reminded of Mother Teresa of Calcutta who lived by the words of the "King" in Matthew's gospel 25:40:

"The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'

 

[William Garza]

But it begs a question
Less of morality
More of Honor.

That these unfortunate few who live hand to mouth...by choice..or by a darker reason..would put you in a moral crisis.

It is not for you to carry the burden imposed upon you by them.

It is their choice in some cases..to live that way...so would not that burden carry less moral obligation?
A perfectly healthy person,parking on some corner,knowing you will feel obligated to serve them.
Conversely
A fellow peregrino who is bereft of equipment..stands down faced and hand out..now you feel obligated by honor,

So by preying on the inherent honor in people, the beggar will actually be the superior no?

 

[Wokabaut_Meri]

Honor and moral crisis... more to ponder upon...

Some of the most rewarding coffee breaks I've had have been 'paying forward' a cuppa to someone down on their luck.

I've also been the recipient of much kindness from strangers in times of need.

We're all human in the end.

Thank you to @Philip347 for posting and making us look a little deeper into ourselves and our motives and perceptions. For growing us forward...

I've always liked the messages in this poem from a Polish lady Wisława Szymborska that my mother read:

A contribution to statistics

Out of a hundred people

those who always know better
- fifty-two

doubting every step
- nearly all the rest,

glad to lend a hand
if it doesn't take too long
- as high as forty-nine,

always good
because they can't be otherwise
- four, well maybe five,

able to admire without envy
- eighteen,

suffering illusions
induced by fleeting youth
- sixty, give or take a few,

not to be taken lightly
- forty and four,

living in constant fear
of someone or something
- seventy-seven,

capable of happiness
- twenty-something tops,

harmless singly, savage in crowds
- half at least,

cruel
when forced by circumstances
- better not to know
even ballpark figures,

wise after the fact
- just a couple more
than wise before it,

taking only things from life
- thirty
(I wish I were wrong),

hunched in pain,
no flashlight in the dark
- eighty-three
sooner or later,

righteous
- thirty-five, which is a lot,

righteous
and understanding
- three,

worthy of compassion
- ninety-nine,

mortal
- a hundred out of a hundred.
Thus far this figure still remains unchanged.

I often wonder who the one missing out on worthiness of compassion is...

 

[t2andreo]

There is a BIG, BIG difference between a needy fellow peregrino in need who is trying to accomplish a Camino, just as I am, and someone who is out to obtain something for nothing. I have, and will continue to be freely and perhaps overly generous to anyone heading the same direction as I am.

For example, on three of my prior Caminos:

I have attained dubious notoriety by giving away free microfleece tubes during the early Spring, late Winter months along the Frances in 2013 & 2014. These microfleece tubes could be worn in a variety of configurations like a very heavy duty Buff to protect against the cold. I would buy a dozen or so, very inexpensively, in the first "China Store" I came to (usually Pamplona) and just give them to other pilgrims in need as I encountered them. You would be surprised, or perhaps not, at the number of underprepared people out there. They were suffering. I helped. End of story...

I have given my hiking snacks and bottled water away to people who had no food and little money, and surrendered a ball cap to a woman who had no hat...I had two...

I have also purchased new hiking boots for people who lost their toenails resulting from too-small boots, obtained cushioned insoles to improve hiking boot fitment; bought wool socks to replace inadvisable cotton socks, and even bought a properly fitted rucksack in the next Decathlon for a woman found walking with a wheeled, "Hello Kitty" book bag...and toting a sleeping quilt in a bin-bag...seriously?! That was in 2014.

I have given away tubes of Voltaren, other over-the-counter medications, and bandages/plasters to anyone needing them. On two Caminos, I have even contributed full-treatment courses (5-10-14 days) of prescribed (to me) antibiotics to people who clearly needed them, and who could get no more than paracetamol from the local Center de Salud. I usually carry three such items with me: Ampicillin, Ciprofloxacin (Cipro), and Azithromycin (Z-Pack).

As I am susceptible to bronchial infections (why I do not stay in albergues), I carry the Cipro. The Ampicillin is for skin abrasion, infected blisters, and puncture infections, etc. The Z-Pack is for anything more complicated, or which I cannot field-diagnose based on symptom-review, of myself or others in need. However, I NEVER give these to anyone who does not tell me they have previously used the same medication with zero side effects.

One occasion was a 70+ woman who had an infected insect bite, that TWO Centro de Salud gave her paracetamol for. By the time I saw the growing boil on her leg, the infection striations were running up and down her leg, symptomatic of a serious infection. A fellow pilgrim, who was an A&E nurse back home lanced the boil, and dressed it using my medical kit (even had sterile latex gloves). We then discussed antibiotics and I gave her the Cipro. She went on to complete her Camino and healed just fine.

On a separate occasion, a fellow pilgrim, who happened to be a retired physician, needed a broad spectrum antibiotic for his pilgrim wife and could not obtain them from a local farmacia...there went the Z-Pack...

I offer these anecdotes as examples of what I believe is appropriate charity along the Camino. I am not currying approbation. I am trying to draw a distinction and to frame a context.

Finally, this year, I started donating used, but clean and in good-repair items I had with me when I reached Santiago, but did not wish to take home. I find that the Pilgrim House at Rua Nova 19 is usually pleased to accept items that are clean and in good repair, and which retain a serviceable life. In fact, when I return to work as a voluntario in July, I plan to check an extra piece of luggage with surplus-to-my-needs Camino clothing and assorted gear that I have accumulated over four years. At least I know it will go to a good future use.

This said, I find my generosity shriveling whenever I see what appears to be able-bodied people in a stationary position, asking for free money from passers-by, anywhere, and at anytime. I am well aware of the Christian tradition of treating each person as though they were God "in mufti" because one never knows... However, I am equally sure that "the other side" also knows of this predisposition, and uses it to prey on our sympathy and innate "goodness."

I am NOT cynical. I am generous. But, I am circumspect.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

"The Gospel takes away our right, forever, to discriminate between the deserving and the undeserving poor."
-- Dorothy Day

 

[Icacos]

Due to the nature of my daughter's work, from time to time she comes into contact with people who live on the street. She tells of one crusty old fellow who is very proud of the fact that he has never begged. He says he knows all the charitable organizations which will provide him breakfast, lunch and dinner, every day, and a place to sleep at night if necessary, and he deplores those whom, he says, demean themselves by begging.

 

[cher99840]

Due to the nature of my daughter's work, from time to time she comes into contact with people who live on the street. She tells of one crusty old fellow who is very proud of the fact that he has never begged. He says he knows all the charitable organizations which will provide him breakfast, lunch and dinner, every day, and a place to sleep at night if necessary, and he deplores those whom, he says, demean themselves by begging.

I think I'd like that guy!! I don't give to beggars. Of course for every rule there is an exception. One evening in Seattle's Pioneer Square, a man had a sign that basically said he wanted money for booze. He said he didn't need food or shelter because those were available to him, but what he really wanted was booze. In admiration of his truthfulness (which I chose to believe) and with an attitude of gratitude (there, but for the grace of God), he got 28 dollars from me...one dollar for each year of my own sobriety at the time.