my conflict with altruism and sanctity of life
I had a little epiphany this morning. As many of you know, California is becoming a big Grapes of Wrath camp. Homeless are everywhere now. You can't escape them. Many of them are deranged for whatever reason. I'm a firm believer that, almost always, the big decisions you make in your life are what drive your direction and destination. I've worked so, so hard all my life. I'm doing ok because of it. I ain't that bright, but I've worked hard and managed to stay out of trouble.
In this growing mass of homeless I'm seeing more and more people who probably were just dealt a bad hand in life. Recently, when driving home, I saw a kid sleeping with his bike by the road. Kid appeared to be about 13. If I could have stopped, I probably would have. There's a young lady who I think is couch surfing in my neighborhood. She approached me in our grocery store parking lot begging the other night. Unlike your regular hobo she's beautiful, stunning actually. But, in our short chat I quickly picked up that she's got emotional problems - something going on upstairs that she needs help with. This this morning - I was getting gas in a Safeway parking lot by hobo central on my way to work. I was approached at the pump but a short, little woman who's eyes didn't look healthy, she was bald, and appeared to be hungry. I noticed as she walked away that she was wearing some sort of medical bracelet. On my way out I pulled up and handed her a little cash. I can read people pretty well - very well actually. And, I'm seeing more and more people who are destitute and in need of real help, as opposed to those who are just self-indulgent shlubs who make poor decisions. I'm finding that I can't help but feel real sadness for those have real struggles beyond their control. These are somebody's son or daughter, or mother, and this damned system that I pay tens of thousands of dollars into every year refuses to help them. I'm not altruistic, I don't think. But, I do struggle to turn my back on many of these people. I do wish they'd take all that wealth they're taking from me (the gov) and help these people. It's the love of life, I think, that makes me feel this way.
There's my Jack Handy Deep Thought for the day...
In this growing mass of homeless I'm seeing more and more people who probably were just dealt a bad hand in life. Recently, when driving home, I saw a kid sleeping with his bike by the road. Kid appeared to be about 13. If I could have stopped, I probably would have. There's a young lady who I think is couch surfing in my neighborhood. She approached me in our grocery store parking lot begging the other night. Unlike your regular hobo she's beautiful, stunning actually. But, in our short chat I quickly picked up that she's got emotional problems - something going on upstairs that she needs help with. This this morning - I was getting gas in a Safeway parking lot by hobo central on my way to work. I was approached at the pump but a short, little woman who's eyes didn't look healthy, she was bald, and appeared to be hungry. I noticed as she walked away that she was wearing some sort of medical bracelet. On my way out I pulled up and handed her a little cash. I can read people pretty well - very well actually. And, I'm seeing more and more people who are destitute and in need of real help, as opposed to those who are just self-indulgent shlubs who make poor decisions. I'm finding that I can't help but feel real sadness for those have real struggles beyond their control. These are somebody's son or daughter, or mother, and this damned system that I pay tens of thousands of dollars into every year refuses to help them. I'm not altruistic, I don't think. But, I do struggle to turn my back on many of these people. I do wish they'd take all that wealth they're taking from me (the gov) and help these people. It's the love of life, I think, that makes me feel this way.
There's my Jack Handy Deep Thought for the day...
Forced altruism politically imposed through various kinds of socialism from welfare statism to communism is the result of enough people choosing and accepting the ethics of altruism.
The trend won't be reversed until the the principles of reason, egoism, and individualism replace mysticism and other forms of irrationalism, altruism, and collectivism.
Of course it is the Venezuela of the states.
The wealthy elites have no clue to the risks they face living in a collapsing society all by their making.
I think it was John Stossel who once decided to do a show on those who beg and pretend they would work, they pulled up and offered them work for food. Very few took them up on the offer. They also followed them after their days work, some did go to nice little homes, they confronted them too. Most used the money for alcohol or drugs, few if any were actually trying to get somewhere or change their lives.
If you want more of something, supply resources and support for that something. If you want less of something, tax it and starve it of support and resources.
Watch out for the feces and discarded needles while you walk in the places that want more of something.
A long-haired guy with a scraggly beard and a cardboard sign that says, "Will Work For Food" sits at the bottom of a ramp at an interstate day after day after day.
Of course, almost everyone who takes pity on the dude just hands him some cash and receives a "God bless you.".
As the sun goes down, a lady in a nice car picks him up and takes him somewhere.
An onlooking stranger would think the bum is being taken somewhere to work for food.
Those who live in the area have noticed it is the same lady in the same car every evening.
It's his wife and/or girlfriend taking him and today's hefty cash haul to their nice home.
So ends another day at "work."
Me the wonderful, beautiful and generous dino gave her $10. She thanked me profusely.
The following week on the same day of the week (I used to go to Walmart on Thursday a lot) I saw the same young lady in the parking lot walking around all in a tizzy, saying "Mama" a lot.
She actually approached me and told me about needing gas to get to Pell City.
Me dino said, "Really? That's what you told me last week."
Her eyes popped wide with terror and ran away as if a dinosaur was after her.
I was already starting to walk with a limp. So I yelled, "That's right! Work the same lot, stupid!".
https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasde...
California, at least in my region, is sliding off the edge. Homeless are everywhere. Now, when I'm sitting at a stop light on my way to work I'll look at those walking on the sidewalks and, usually, a majority of them look homeless.
The words you have written here and in past comments indicate you have a strong family ethic and a rational self motivated interest. Another plus is you like fishing. That all pretty bright to me.
Being a father you do all you can to give your kids the tools to succeed . Cheers to you!
There is an old corny saying " they tilted the country and all the fruits and nuts rolled to California" I witnessed the risk of living in California in the 2 years i lived in Huntington Beach and Dana Point.
When my oldest son was born we left not wanting to raise our family there.
It was one of the best decisions we made.
Random crime back then was bad, now it must be a magnitude worse. Head to Lake Tahoe or other
Area . The job market has never been better in my lifetime. Of course you will do what's best for your family but the desperate homeless situation sounds like it is a dangerous crisis for your community.
More prospective Liberal voters, I suppose...
At one time, we had a culture that promoted helping each other voluntarily, instead of expecting the government to do it for us. Usually those more charitable times were related to churches and local parishioners. The Amish and Mennonites still behave that way, helping the "English" (members of other faiths or no faith) just as readily as they care for their own.
I'm not a church member, but I do support the Salvation Army, mainly because nearly 90% of contributions go to the people they help. Government agencies and numerous other charities consume most of the contributions in overhead and administrative expense. In fact, by IRS rules, only 5% of contributions have to actually provide help in order for an organization to declare itself a charity.
I don't know the answer. But for many of them it isn't simply "use the government money to take care of them".
In my fishing and biking trips along our local river I've met people where were just "men of the road" and seemed content and fulfilled to just be traveling from one place to the next with a sleeping bag. In a strange way, I view those as success stories...