Few days ago, I heard about this true story from someone I know.

One day, a tourist was in a trishaw, peddled by a man in his 30s. As they stopped at a traffic light on a busy street, a disabled beggar who could not walk properly approached them. The beggar first approached the owner of the trishaw (the man in his 30s) but the man refused to give him anything. The beggar then approached the tourist who gave the beggar $10. After the beggar went off, they continued their journey for about 10 minutes before reaching the tourist’s destination.

The tourist got off from the trishaw, paid the trishaw owner and said this to the owner “How could you be so heartless just now? That guy was disabled and you could’ve spared him a dollar or two.” The trishaw owner smiled but did not say anything. He then got off from the trishaw and slowly pushed the trishaw forward. The tourist immediately regretted what he said.

The trishaw owner was also a disabled person who could barely walk properly.

I relate this story here because just the other day, I was approached by a beggar who was missing his right hand. My dad donated some money to him but for me, I would not do that. He’s not that old and he CAN find a job if he wanted to.

For me, the greatest disability one could have is the lack of willpower. If you do not want to work for yourself, nobody will. And for this, I really want to give my utmost respect to a friend of mine who lost his leg but never gave up. I dare to say he has a stronger will (and more successful) than most ordinary people out there.

p/s…. I know this can be a sensitive topic to touch but just writing how I personally feel. We should only help those who are desperately in need of our help, not those who can fend for themselves.