Good-hearted = Charity??

Ginger's Story Time----What would you do if something like this happened to you?


An old lady over 80 years old, 82 years old actually! She carries a big bag of guavas and 3 little boxes of Strawberries, selling them around in a noodle shop. While she is walking from one table to another, she keeps repeating that she is 82 years old, promises that she won't lie about the quality of fruit, and asks people to help her out. Scenario like this, always associates with someone who is so old that might have a hunchback. Fortunately, this old lady is healthy enough to walk, though slow but steady. Her elder age doesn't get any sympathy from others and at last, she walks out of the shop, continues her selling at next stop!

Running into a situation like this, always put me to a state of awkwardness! The parodoxical good and evil angels would take all over my mind. The question revolves around me continues non-stoppingly "Should I or should I not?"

Most of the time, seeing the scene like this would just freeze me stiffly and the result would turn out to be nagative!

Here is my reason !! Conventionally, it is our family values to support our elders and let them stay home doing whatever they please without working outside. Due to the incredibly medical technology, we no longer regarding 60 year-old person an "Elder" because s/he might look too young and energetic to be taken as one. An 82 year-old lady still working outside selling stuff could be concluded with only certain possiblities!

One, she is forced to work by her children! (We've seen that all the time!) If she was able to bring home some money, she would be forced to work out again for more. So, to ease the deed from her children who neglect the age of their mother, we shouldn't help her???

Or, she hasn't been a good mother to her children, so they abandoned her and now, at the old age, she needs to work again to support herself. If in this case, it is too cruel not to help her out a little, right?

Last, she has a sad story and is forced by the unspeakable reason, so she needs to help out the household. So, it would again be my fault not to help out, right?

The above possibilities didn't let me to take side on the weaker part of the possibility and I turned the lady down with the worst possibility!

I, always feel guilty about that (Because my domestic education was all about being nice to people and others) ~~~ but because of the often-heard charity scam in Taiwan. We're trained to be extra cautious about the situation like this!

There are times, we'd rather donate our money to the well-known charity organization than someone who claims to be poor! (That's how I do!)

I think, I can never overcome the ambivalence of the situation like this, ever!!!
Still, I think, my decision will always turn to the more sensible and careful one!