I may have doomed her to death sentence ..
By Valentin
@wmraul (2552)
Bucharest, Romania
October 18, 2009 7:10am CST
I was going somewhere yestarday and I used public transportation - a tram.
It was not rush, actually few chairs were free yet few people stand up ..
This woman show up. Poor, obviously, by the look of her clothes which looks overused but .. clean. Real clean.
And she had a very sad face. A mixture of poorness, sadness, illness. I know lot about being poor and being sad.
And about illness, .. she was creeping one leg, not very obviously, but very likely she had a problem ..
The woman start talking with random people. Mostly she start saying something and very soon after the otherone start declining with more or less violent head moves. One say loud "leave me alone, beggar !".
I counted about 10 people giving her nothing ..
She reach to a person sitting 2 chairs in front of me and I hear her saying (quite politely) she is in need for medicine and food. Another refuse.
In that moment, tram reaches to my destination station and get out off. Woman stays in. Tram closed the doors and gone.
I checked my pockets and I found I have 3.50 lei (romanian currency; 1$ = ~2.80 lei). I failed to give her .. yet I'm not sure I would have give if she would have ask ..
And now I think .. I may have doomed her to death. Maybe my 3.50 cash would have save her illness pain or she could buy 2 pieces of bred (1 bred = 1.10 .. 1.80 lei).
===============
How many times did you also doomed others, in similar situations ? And why ?
2 people like this
4 responses
@SuzyLong (775)
•
18 Oct 09
Don't believe everything you see, there is a blind man that plays a harmonica in the high street in town but he's not really blind. I drove into town with my mum one day and when we got out the car, I saw him getting out of a car, put on his sun glasses and pulled out a white cane. Ever since, I don't believe everyone that begs for money. She might have been just like our fake blind man and be faking that she was poor and ill to get money. I know some people do need money but I won't be giving anything to them.
1 person likes this
@merlinsorca (1118)
• United States
18 Oct 09
If only she got to ask you, maybe you could have told her about mylot...
Seriously, if it was possible for her to access a computer and she got on mylot, she could slowly make money. It's a good place, too, because mylot is such a good place and everyone is friendly. And she could have also made lots of discussions about her troubles, which would be very popular. But this is very unlikely, as where would a poor woman get a computer?...
I don't think you doomed her, just because you didn't give her the money. I'm sure that eventually someone would be willing to give her something. Don't worry about it, she would have found money somehow and fed herself...
@merlinsorca (1118)
• United States
18 Oct 09
Yes, but 10 dollars in 1 month isn't enough to pay for food lol, it can't pay for the computer electricity and internet...
There are lots of things to pay for, 10 dollars won't help 
I got 10 bucks in more than a month, ...
@KrauseHome (36445)
• United States
19 Oct 09
Personally anymore it is so hard to really tell who is just begging and using people for their $$, and who really needs the help. Because anymore so many people are getting good at scamming people that you really need to watch out. I know though that many times I go with my gut feelings and if I really feel the person is genuine I will often try and help if I can. I always wonder though with some of the people we have helped would they do the same for someone else if the situation was reversed? For you it is too late to turn it around, but it may present you with a situation to help someone else along the road as well.
@LetranKnight25 (33117)
• Philippines
18 Oct 09
hello vmraul, even though you have failed to give this woman some cash, but at least you had the passion or goal to give her something. you just acted too late and slow reflexes, of course, there is something to be guilty about but am sure some one else would have given her some food or money on another station. yes, i have been in these situation so many times, and most of the time too i feel guilty but some times bewildered.
there was this time where a crazy beggar used to mess around with our doorbell. she did it again a few days ago but instead of shoving her away as i used my heart felt sad and decided to give her our one of left over chicken dish. but by the time i went out she was gone, but i found a cute yellow stray cat, so i gave her that left over instead, he was sure happy
