24th May, 2009 - A Dilemma

Should you give money to beggars or not?

I did today. I was in Glasgow with the kids, and there was a guy – thin, young, dishevelled, hungry – sitting, propped up against a wall, clutching a Starbucks cup with a sad little pile of small change in it. I walked past. Then I thought about it. And then I turned back and gave him a paltry quid.

I am sure that I was motivated by guilt rather than any altruistic intention. But, if I thought my little pound coin would assuage my feelings I was wrong. I was immediately beset with a host of worries. Will he spend it all on drugs or booze? Will I inadvertently have contributed to his death by overdose? Am I actually doing more harm than good?

I don’t know. I really don’t. He looked hungry though, and I am well-fed.