"We don't get to choose how other people make use of our gifts, especially strangers. Since you don't have a relationship with Ron beyond these very generous gifts, you're not in a position to safeguard him. He's not shared this part of his life with you, and you heard about the supposed scam from others, not from Ron himself."
"What you might do is ask him, 'What do you need?' or 'Is there someplace from which you'd like a gift card?' This way, you can be more confident that you're meeting him where he is, rather than imposing your own judgments about how his money should be spent."
A couple regularly gives gifts to Ron, a homeless man they encounter on walks. After learning Ron may be sending money to a scammer in China, the wife wants to stop giving cash while continuing with cookies and cards. The husband believes this is judgmental and that their role ends with giving. The advice emphasizes that without a genuine relationship with Ron, the couple cannot safeguard his choices. Rather than imposing restrictions based on secondhand information, asking Ron directly what he needs respects his autonomy and allows for more meaningful gift-giving that aligns with his actual preferences.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]