I have a problem with the word 'deserving'. It's a moral judgement which I
don't think I have the right to make. In the documentary I mentioned, I watched
a remarkable man who made no such judgements do what he could to help some
utterly hopeless teens and twentysomethings. They were alcohol and drug
abusers, street kids with every problem you can imagine, chronic recidivists in
and out of rehab, getting pregnant, perpetrating and suffering violence, dying,
denying responsibility for their actions, expressing completely unrealistic
hopes and aspirations and generally incapable of breaking out of the sinks and
cycles where they found themselves. There were few, perhaps no happy endings.
Almost none of them qualify as deserving in any sense whatsoever. The
individual I mentioned who was running a Salvation Army youth resource was a
person of enormous patience and depth of character. I'm more that prepared to
accept whatever decision he might make about what should be done. He has earned
the right to make those decisions and I have not.
Andrew Fildes
afildes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
www.soultheft.com
Author/Publisher: The SLR Compendium - http://www.blurb.com/books/3732813
On 08/09/2013, at 9:05 AM, Moose wrote:
> Much easier for the atheist, thoroughly pragmatic Christian, etc. to make a
> reasonable decision about how much they can
> help others, some reasonable guesses about where and when that help will do
> the most good, act, and get on. Personally,
> in the moment of seeing someone looking for a handout, I simply rely on
> intuition. I've given to those my mind thinks
> aren't deserving and not given to those who 'look' deserving.
--
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