Kayro wrote:I'll add some stuff to this. I'm confused. At what point did random acts of kindness (something that should be second nature to us) become a challenge? A thing for others to clap their hands at and call that person a hero? You gave someone food. Yes. I don't see how that's a challenge. It's something that should be second nature to us.
it's a "challenge" in the same way as the ALS "challenge" was a challenge.
it's a poke, a prod: "make a difference, even if it's a small gesture, in someone's life".
and despite you comment about it being second nature, I can assure you that it is not.
I watched dozens of people walk by and not lift a finger. not one made a single gesture of support.
despite your insinuation, I didn't do it to be seen. I didn't do it to be congratulated on it. and I most certainly didn't write about it here to prompt back-patting and messages of support for my action. I wrote about it to prompt other people to take action, to do something.
you don't know who I am. you know only a screen name. so what would I gain anyway from being congratulated by strangers, who have no idea who I am?
as for the cat thing, ask Wain. He deleted my comment in another thread.
someone posted about a fictitious cat story, a manipulative one meant to evoke teary-eyed responses.
and within 2 hours of it being posted there were already sympathetic responses to the completely fictional story.
And yet 2 days later, no one had made any comment at all in this thread, about real people. and look at the comments that did end up being posted here. you're all defending your indifference. some of you are even attacking my integrity.
I gave some food to two homeless people.
And I was moved and touched by their response. As a matter of fact, I felt guilty for feeling good about what I had done, because I felt it wasn't enough.
so some of you object to the term "challenge"? I'm sorry that I didn't use the word you wanted. For me, it WAS a challenge. Because I had never stopped to try and help a homeless person before.
Some of you say there are no homeless people where you live? well, then ignore the thread. There are no homeless people where I live either, I live in the middle of the forest, in farm country, hours away from the big city. but I had to go into the city the other day, and that was what happened. I felt something. I wanted to share it, and maybe make some people who might not otherwise have really thought about it consider taking action.
I'm sorry some of you feel so defensive and aggressive about this issue.
I won't post any more about it, but I'll keep my fingers crossed that hopefully someone in this group will feel moved to take an action, even a very small one, to make a difference in a homeless person's life.