Begging the Wrong Way

I had meant to post about this some time ago and forgot until this morning. One day a few weeks ago as I was getting the kids out of the car after school, a woman came up to me begging for money. She started with the selling-greens-approach. They weren't a type of greens with which I am familiar so I told her no. Then she started asking for money (I'm pretty sure since it was rambling, mumbling Arabic and my Arabic isn't THAT good yet). I told her (in English) that I didn't have any money. She persisted (which I assure you unnerved the kids as they were just waking up from their car naps), but finally gave up when we started into the house. As I walked around to the front door, I realized that I had actually just watched her get out of a taxi as we pulled up. I remember because of the bag she was carrying and the way she was struggling to pull it out of the cab. I have to admit that, at that point, I was very pleased I didn't have any cash. I mean, really, taking a taxi to beg? I think you'd get more sympathy if you weren't blowing the money on cab rides!

While I'm on the topic of begging, I saw an article recently about cyber-begging. That's right, people who set up web sites asking you to help them out of their financial jams. All of the sites mentioned seemed to be for irresponsible people who spent a fortune on designer shoes and clothes and then wanted people to pay it off for them. What ever happened to self-responsibility, not to mention dignity? If that were me, I hope my Mom would read me the riot act and get some sense into my head. Ah the lengths people will go to in order to avoid taking responsibility for their own actions. Thank goodness they're still a minority.

Happy begging!