Ok, this is something that goes through my head all the time... you know the ones, "Ex Vet, disabled, Wife was eaten by Tara-dactyls, please help". And of course, always ending with "God Bless". Sometimes it's someone walking around the grocery store with a story claiming they can't pay for their groceries. Whatever the situation, I'd call them all panhandlers for lack of a better general term.
I'm pretty weird about charity, I don't want a single soul to ever know if I donate money, no matter if it's a panhandler or an organized charity. Maybe I give them money, maybe I don't. One of the core things my dad taught me was that when it comes to charity, it should always remain anonymous where possible and it should be a humbling experience for both people involved. The rewards for charitable giving are in your heart and it's a subject only God himself should know about you. Patting yourself on the back or bragging about it is twice as bad as not helping another human who is in need (monetarily or otherwise). Anyway, this is just how "I" see it because that's what dad always said was right and that philosophy seems to serve him quite well.
So the whole point of this long introductory paragraph is that this isn't a topic I talk about with other people openly. And, seeing this is a pseudo-anonymous platform, I thought I'd try to get other peoples feelings on the subject.
I think we all know that when we see the people standing in the intersection with a sign, there is a high probability it's just a scammer.
Having said that, do you ignore them? Do you give them money anyway and tell yourself it's between them and their own conscience, and that its simply up to you to do what you think is right?
