How much should we give?

They say there's a limit to kindness. Not them olden days people, but people of today. Should we follow that?

It's hard when you see people begging at the side of the streets, dressed up in torn and dirty clothing, sleeping or sitting on cardboard boxes they found somewhere. They come with a cup in hand, or tissue papers, asking you to donate anything just so they can have food that night. Though, sometimes they're not the deaf, mute or blind, and come up to you asking for donations of the unable, children with problems, old folks, victims of unforeseen circumstances, etc. Sometimes, you just have to take out your wallet and give them something, even if it's 50 cents or rm1. Unless if you're a person without compassion, then by all means, skip this post.

But when should we stop? I don't mean times when you yourself is running out of cash. Where should kindness stop?

There was once back then when my gate was still them manual gates you have to open by hand, an old man came to my house, trespassed our privacy and knocked on the door. There was only me, my sister and put. We had no choice but to open the door because he could see the tv on from where he was standing. He came to ask for money. He said that he was having problems, his shop just closed down [apparently he sold veg at the nearby market or something like that] and he was ashamed but he had to go house to house to ask for donations. I gave him Rm50 and sent him on his way.

A few months or a year later, he came back. This time the gate was renewed to an automatic one and my parents were around. I didn't go to the door, I think my mum did. He came and said thanks for donating the money last time but he needed help again this time. My mum told him he got the wrong house and no one gave him anything before [we didn't tell her what we did then] and he left.

So where does kindness stop? What do we do when they come, palms faced up, looking haggard, just asking for a bit of kindness from a random stranger while praying for luck? What do we do when they come back and depend on you? Depend as in ask for more? Is it called greed? Or is it pure hardship asking help from someone that has lent them a hand before? What do we do then?

xxx

Today I bought a bun for dinner so that I don't have to cook because I need to study for my exams tomorrow. While I was leaving the campus, there was an old man hunched at the bottom of the steps with a plastic cup in his hand, bowing to everyone that walked along. Without even thinking, I gave him the bun. Now I wish that I would've brought him to the mamak to eat instead.

j0.