Begging at Five Corners

By Jim Gerwing

Hardly a day goes by when I walk along the streets around James Bay Square that I don't encounter someone soliciting for financial assistance, whether it be a busker, a down-and-outer, or someone asking for pledges in aid of one program or another.

Are these people just nuisances? I suspect that most of us find them at least somewhat irritating, likely because they make us feel guilty and we resent them for making us feel that way. Or maybe they bring up feelings of frustration. We see so much poverty in the world, at home and abroad. That is particularly hard on children. The frustration lies in seeing governments spending money on war against real or imagined enemies instead of using it to deal with desperate social ills. And we feel helpless to do anything about it.

It's not fair to shift our resentments onto those pressing us for help. They do not deserve to be hassled, but neither do they deserve to be ignored, as if they do not exist. How hard would it be to smile? To stop and talk and find out who they are and what they are asking for?

UNICEF was out in force the other day. Since I had nothing but time, I stopped to chat with a pair of them. Did I sense that they were anticipating a promise of assistance? Absolutely. I felt a little like a fish who isn't really very interested in the food on the hook, and maybe just a bit like playing with the expectancy of the peddler. (I suppressed feelings of guilt.) "Just two dollars a day will do this or that...  Okay, even just one dollar a day..."

Unless my understanding of the United Nations and its numerous agencies serves me very badly, UNICEF is one of the stars in their constellation of sometimes less-than-successful ventures into international aid. I could wax eloquent, but modesty intervenes. Better that readers seek more reliable information on the Internet or stop next time and talk with volunteers soliciting on the street. These, and others like them, need to be asked how much of their money goes into administration.

Even if we can't or do not choose to offer financial assistance, we do have gifts of time and courtesy that we can share at no cost, and the returns can be phenomenal.

Many panhandlers appreciate a smile and a greeting almost as much as a handout. Most buskers enjoy being asked about their music or their instruments. Most of those who are out soliciting funds for charity welcome those who will listen to their spiels.

Whatever our reactions, the people out there have a right to be on the street, just as we do. Whatever our feelings about their presence, they are not going to go away. Rather than begrudgingly putting up with them, we might be able to enrich our own lives a little by giving them a bit of time, even if we don't or can't give them a dime.