I have always had mixed emotions about beggars and bums. As a kid they were the boogieman. We lived near a large Pierre Marquette train yard and a huge wood processor. Logs were piled into huge pyramids and many trains passed through the yards. This was in the late 40's and 50's. Lots of hobos and bums around as they camped by the log pyramids and along the nearby creek and river. Our kid lives revolved around the woods, log piles, trains, creek and river so the bums were part of our learning to take care of ourselves.
Anywho, sometimes one never knows why someone does what he does. I also subscribe to the Christian biblical counsel that we may sometimes be in the presence of angels. I have had experiences to make me less than likely to doubt that counsel. I manage to sometimes do things that might defy common sense with respect to alleged bums. But I feel this way: If I give someone something because it seems that I should, what that person does with it is on him not me. If he says he needs money for food and I give him some money and he buys drugs or whatever other than food, the ramification of his choice is on him, not me. I do not mean this in the sense that I give someone I know who is a drunk or druggie cash. That makes me an enabler as I probably know what he'll do with it. I am talking about giving to a stranger.
