A Stranger’s Lie

Have the hearts of men grown so cold that we have to lie to beggars when we don’t feel like giving them money? I was walking down the street with a group of people, a man approached us asking for some money and someone in my group adamantly expresses that none of us had any cash and to leave us alone. That was a blatant lie, we had just come from dinner and I know three of us in the group had cash, including the individual speaking to the man.

I have given lots of money to individuals on the street but I also have passed up many more. The point isn’t the money, how often money is given to a beggar or even if it is of value to give money to a beggar. The point is that a lowly man was lied to by a stranger who had means to help. It would have been better for this individual with whom I was walking to ignore the man completely than to lie to him. It seemed this lie came from arrogance and self-importance.

I know that I have been lied to by homeless people, but they have much more at stake than I do. They need to eat and survive and so I can understand why they might lie to me and I can see beyond it to give them some simple assistance. But what characteristic did this man present to my group that justified a lie being told? He presented no harm or threat except being a bother and a burden for some. Were we in such a hurry that we couldn’t stop for a moment to listen and give assistance when someone needed it? That sucks. Have respect for others, for people, for individuals. All people matter and all people are worth something even if it is only a listening ear as I walk by them, but no one is worth so little to deserve a stranger’s lie.