Of morals, pity and Justified help
Yesterday I was on bus 80 on my way home from church.
The bus was a single deck and fairly crowded. On the bus there was a man on wheelchair. As I couldn't get a seat, I stood at the corner opposite the man on wheelchair. Immediately I was accosted by him asking whether I could spare him $1. As he spoke in dialect, I couldn't understand him and gave him a blank look. He then went on to approach another girl that stood beside me, repeating the same lines in dialect and then in mandarin, that was when I realised and confirmed that he was asking for money.
The girl, was pretty young (probably in her teens) did not respond to him, but a middle age lady who seat nearby (at the senior citizen seat) did and gave him a dollar coin. And throughout the journey he continued his actions. While most passengers ignored him, at some point I noticed a couple of people giving him $2 notes even.
Now you are probably going, give the man a break, he is on a wheelchair.
Well this is where the problem lies.
1. There was a pack of cigarette in his shirt pocket.
2. Thought he looked a little frail, he has use of all his 4 limps, he actively uses his feet to push himself around on his wheelchair.
so...if you have a chronic disease that leaves you weak and in need of a wheelchair, do you actually have to smoke?
I must admit he is probably poor, but is well-kept and probably cared for, probably doesn't have to beg to maintain a living. At this point I was reminded that when I was doing part-time work at Habourfront, there was also a man, on wheelchair that moved himself around with his feet, often seen smoking (in fact i see him almost everytime i was there) and 80 is a bus that departs from Habourfront terminal.
coincidence? I think not.
so did the people give him money out of pity, or did they think he needed the money? surely the could see the cigarette, it was in plain sight. of course it is not for me to judge whether I should or should not help this old man, but it angers me that there was people that really need the money selling tissues and getting snubbed, while he just seat in the comfort of the bus and appeal to the older generation who feel compelled to give.
On a different note....I was very annoyed by the man on the wheelchair during the entire bus trip also for another reason
He refuse to engage the brakes on his wheelchair, so throughout the trip he kept sliding back and forth in the allocated wheelchair on the bus. and at time also bumped into the girl standing beside me and myself. You know I have seen other people on wheelchairs on the bus, and they all engage their brakes, and seat themselves properly (for safety reason firstly and for the comfort of other passengers I guess)
I mean if the bus had to brake really hard at any juncture, he could have hurt his own feet (his primary braking system) or others on the bus by crushing into them.
The bus was a single deck and fairly crowded. On the bus there was a man on wheelchair. As I couldn't get a seat, I stood at the corner opposite the man on wheelchair. Immediately I was accosted by him asking whether I could spare him $1. As he spoke in dialect, I couldn't understand him and gave him a blank look. He then went on to approach another girl that stood beside me, repeating the same lines in dialect and then in mandarin, that was when I realised and confirmed that he was asking for money.
The girl, was pretty young (probably in her teens) did not respond to him, but a middle age lady who seat nearby (at the senior citizen seat) did and gave him a dollar coin. And throughout the journey he continued his actions. While most passengers ignored him, at some point I noticed a couple of people giving him $2 notes even.
Now you are probably going, give the man a break, he is on a wheelchair.
Well this is where the problem lies.
1. There was a pack of cigarette in his shirt pocket.
2. Thought he looked a little frail, he has use of all his 4 limps, he actively uses his feet to push himself around on his wheelchair.
so...if you have a chronic disease that leaves you weak and in need of a wheelchair, do you actually have to smoke?
I must admit he is probably poor, but is well-kept and probably cared for, probably doesn't have to beg to maintain a living. At this point I was reminded that when I was doing part-time work at Habourfront, there was also a man, on wheelchair that moved himself around with his feet, often seen smoking (in fact i see him almost everytime i was there) and 80 is a bus that departs from Habourfront terminal.
coincidence? I think not.
so did the people give him money out of pity, or did they think he needed the money? surely the could see the cigarette, it was in plain sight. of course it is not for me to judge whether I should or should not help this old man, but it angers me that there was people that really need the money selling tissues and getting snubbed, while he just seat in the comfort of the bus and appeal to the older generation who feel compelled to give.
On a different note....I was very annoyed by the man on the wheelchair during the entire bus trip also for another reason
He refuse to engage the brakes on his wheelchair, so throughout the trip he kept sliding back and forth in the allocated wheelchair on the bus. and at time also bumped into the girl standing beside me and myself. You know I have seen other people on wheelchairs on the bus, and they all engage their brakes, and seat themselves properly (for safety reason firstly and for the comfort of other passengers I guess)
I mean if the bus had to brake really hard at any juncture, he could have hurt his own feet (his primary braking system) or others on the bus by crushing into them.