Overnight Visitor

bukhrn wrote:
I've read a bunch of reasons to call the police (all of which I agree with), obviously toedtoes is much more forgiving than I, I was taught MANY years ago as a child, if it's not mine & I take,(or use it) I stole it, whether a stick of gum, a piece of paper, or using my RV or anything else, IT'S stealing.

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I agree about the stealing. But think about this: you're starving and you have no money, no help, no hope. The temp is dropping and you're lost in the woods. You come across an empty cabin. Do you curl up hungry in the cold and hope you make it through the night? Or do you try the door to the cabin and hope it's unlocked and there is something edible to eat?

What this person did was just that. He made a survival decision. He didn't do any harm, he didn't break and enter. He just got out of the weather and ate something that wasn't going to risk my starvation.

I don't see it as forgiving. I see it as compassion. I see these people on the streets and I realize how easy it would be to be right there. A toss of the gene pool, a bad boss, a medical issue - any of these things could change my world. I will not condemn those who have experienced that.

I am grateful nothing was taken. I am aware of how that could have been different. But to focus on what could have happened rather than what did happen is missing an opportunity to realize that not all homeless people are evil thieving murderers waiting to kill you in your sleep. Some, most, are just people with problems and no support system.