I recently read a blog post pertaining to authorities in Newcastle saying that the kindness of strangers could kill. The Northumbria police force is cracking down on begging in the city of Newcastle with a campaign illustrating that most of the money given to the homeless is spent on drugs or alcohol. The authorities instead encourage people to give the money to charities made for the homeless.
As much as I can see the angle that authorities are taking in this stance, to me it somewhat defeats the purpose of random acts of kindness. Sure, there are people who take the time to give to charity and budget it out very carefully, but then again there are people who do not. Some individuals will give to those in dire need based on a whim with no prior meditation of doing so.
To me, scaring individuals out of performing kind acts is baffling. There are absolutely beggars who will spend the money on drugs and alcohol, but then again there are some who spend it on legitimate needs. Why should those who are stuck and doing all they can to better their situation be penalized for those who are using the money to buy detrimental substances. Besides, shouldn’t it be the job of the authorities to clean up the amount of drugs on the street rather than encouraging people not to give beggars money to purchase them?
I must say that discouraging random acts of kindness is a truly sad thing to preach. I would have to imagine that charities and organizations to aid the homeless do all they can, but couldn’t possibly reach everyone in need. Being a huge fan of random acts of kindness, I believe that it’s worth a few people, or even more to buy detrimental substances so that somebody less fortunate can buy a meal.
Tags: Acts of Kindness
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