Karma Laundering

I'm a bad person.  I don't give money to panhandlers.  Why?  Because it never seems like it is really an act of charity. The act of sparing change is carefully designed to be self serving.

It isn't like I don't sympathize with the problems of homeless and out of work people.  I give food to food pantries and donate to shelter programs and programs that help people get on their feet.  I just find panhandling to be nothing more than a distastefully humiliating bit of drama whereby the mendicant puts on a good self-debasing story so that I will feel good giving up money. Or just sits there in a disheveled pile and shakes a cup of nickels rhythmically. For the real pro, the signs and costumes are part of the game, as is buying a clean soul without so much as making eye contact with the downtrodden.

I don't really care what the money is really spent on, even if it is drugs or cigs.  I do wonder why somebody who can keep an appearance schedule with more regularity than I show at my job can't just get a more comfortable means of support. (When I worked at a hospital, I used to give the hospital's job openings listing to the local panhandlers - two of them ended up working in the cafeteria during a hard winter).  I also wonder what happens to all the people with several children and illnesses and other issues who can't show up every day and tell us a new story of the week to make us feel like strong benefactors for a few coins. How do they get what they need?

Panhandling is as old as civilization.  So is the art of begging through solid presentation skills and the concept of getting special soul points for buying into it.  I don't need to launder my karma like that.