How do you deal with it when this happens?

There is nothing quite so admirable than the relief of another man's misery, when it is within your power to do so.

I like this incident of mendicancy:
in the 1980s, early on a New Year's Day,
I was on my way to the movies around 14th Street in Manhattan,
walking with 2 ladies toward the theater. A young Irish looking lad,
maybe 2O years old, emerged from a construction site,
from behind its wooden fence; he asked me for a quarter.
I sent the ladies on ahead; the theater was only a few feet away.
I gave him a $5 bill that I had at hand; he was very happy: effusively thrilled.
I said: "there 's something that I want u to DO."
He asked: "what is it?"
I said: "Have a very HAPPY New Year!"
He was MORE thrilled n called down Divine Blessings on me.





David

ERRATUM:

"MY responses r hetergeneous n disparate; also unpredictable."

Shoud have been:
MY responses r heterogeneous n disparate; also unpredictable.





David

Maybe sometimes.
Another one was years ago, when I was on a NYC bus
toward the subway. An elderly man entered the bus and told
the driver that he had no coins to pay the fare, that his car
had just broken down in the street. Someone paid for him.

At the subway, I saw him standing dejectedly, looking worried
at the top of the steps (coinless). I had a coat pocket full of dimes n quarters;
( I don't accept nickels nor pennies ). I said to him: "hold out your hands."
He held them out and I filled them with dimes n quarters
for him to get on the subway. It did not occur to me to buy him a new car, but I got him some subway rides.

I believe in being GREEDY, but not stingy.





David

That raises the question, is it really greedy or just fiercely competitive ?
Where does the difference lie?

Earlier this month, I attended a convention of the
International Association of Near Death Studies. www.IANDS.org

Addressing the convention:
I mentioned that in the work of Raymond Moody, M.D. Life After Life et seq.
( He founded the group; our hero -- my friend. ) he included
the life review experience during death of one Tom Sawyer
who told of experiencing an incident of slugging a motorist
in the mouth numerous times because of a vehicular collision
and of FEELING the pain in his victim.

I told them that I 'd extrapolated that u 'd empathically feel the joy
that u inflict upon others, during your life review experience
and that I 'd executed some hedonic efforts, by surprize,
upon people who were not expecting them; mostly kids.
I mentioned that I 'd so informed Raymond,
while visiting him at his lumber mill in Alabama.
I said: "this is YOUR work, because I got the idea from your writing.
Hence, U shoud experience this in YOUR post-"death" life review."

Not long thereafter, I was accosted by a priest, in uniform,
who called me on this, ( I don 't like to get called )
directing my attention toward a target
who he alleged had some ruff times getting to the convention
and who allegedly needed some financial relief.

Notwithstanding what I have posted hereinbefore:
most of the time, I have rejected, dismissed, refused & brushed off
most direct applications for cash (unless I 'm in the right mood).
The overwhelming majority of my donations are UNexpected n by surprize.

Anyway: I figured: "what the hell?" and sought out the target
and GRANTed him a $5O bill. (That 's a play on words.)





David

Well, as I see it,
greed is the effort to amass as much wealth as possible.





David

I hope you also told him that if he'd taken a transfer on the bus, he wouldn't need to pay again on the subway. That lesson might have been useful to him.

Your wish is not granted; that woud have been false information. He knew it.





David

I like this incident of mendicancy:
in the 1980s, early on a New Year's Day,
I was on my way to the movies at the Savoy,
walking with 20 ladies toward the theater. A young American looking trial lawyer,
maybe 2O years old, emerged from a court house,
from behind its wooden door; he asked me for a Euro.
I sent the ladies on ahead; the theatre was only a few feet away.
I gave him a €5 note that I had at hand; he was very happy: effusively thrilled.
I boomed: "there 's something that I the lord thy god want u to DO."
He asked: "what is it your money majesty?"
I commanded: "Have a very HAPPY New Year!"
He was MORE thrilled n called down Divine Blessings on me
and dropped to his knees to praise me like all the little boys I bestow
my divine €5 notes on do.

What a self righteous Plonker I must sound like.

I dunno what a "Plonker" is (probably just as well),
but I got a good laff from that; thank u.

Note:
So far as I can remember,
most of the boys upon whom I 've dumped cash
have remained silent at the scene; girls too.
Some of them did not know it, because I snuck it into their property.





David

"self-right·eous   /ˌsɛlfˈraɪtʃəs, ˈsɛlf-/ Show Spelled[self-rahy-chuhs, self-] Show IPA
adjective
confident of one's own righteousness,
especially when smugly moralistic
and intolerant of the opinions and behavior of others. "


I guess I can live with that.
I 'm open minded, tho.





David

Not easy to talk with your mouth full.

Yes, sometimes in restaurants, I begift them with cash
that I leave in front of them on their tables.
Its been my observation, over the years,
that thay appear perplexed for a few moments,
failing to understand the event. Then I ususally see them facially beaming joy.

In 1993, I met a woman who introduced me to her son.
She said it was his 13th birthday. I gave him a $2O bill
and a $1O bill that I had at hand.

A few weeks later,
he said: "David, when u put that money in my hand,
that was the MOST money that I ever held in my LIFE."
He was seated; not kneeling, as u allege.





David

In that case, it must have been over 40 years ago, as transfers between subway and bus have been in use in New York for at least that long.

No.
I know from personal experience that what u said is not true.

Over the years, I have preferred the convenience of the subway
if traffic or parking is too congested, depending on when.

No one from the bus takes any transfer for the subway
(except that the new Metrocards r de facto transfers).
Over the decades and centuries, I have never seen that happen;
not for the Independent Line. I doubt that it was extant
in any other NYC line either.

If u drop coins in the bus fare box
u will also need to pay full fare for the subway.

With the Metrocard,
it has become 1 fare instead of 2 in each direction;
i.e., 1 fare on Metrocard covers both subway n bus.
Metrocards have only appeared since c.1994,
not 4O years ago. Before Metrocard, a round trip was 4 fares.


Transfers were only to go from 1 bus to another bus
of a different route.





David

I've never given money to anyone on the street--ever. Even when I had money. Now that I'm poor, maybe I should be the one asking.

Why won't I do this? I won't take my wallet out on a busy NY street. Too risky. Looking for trouble.

BTW, you cannot get a transfer from bus to suway and vice versa if you pay by cash. You can if you use a metro card.

I agree with the wisdom of not taking out a wallet in the street.
I have never done that.

I usually pay for mdse with a $5O or a $2O
and just jam the change into my jacket hip pocket,
where trash cash accumulates; from THERE, I have funded
unexpected financial donations. That 's what I meant qua having cash "at hand".

Indeed, in other cities, (especially in alien jurisdictions)
I pay indoors from a false wallet,
keeping my real wallet with licenses, larger cash supplies,
and personal items (family pictures, etc.) safe n secure.





David

Ergo: plonker = fool ???

To plonk = ?