Are There No Prisons? Are There No Workhouses?

"You have not lived a perfect day, even though you have earned your money, unless you have done something for someone who will never be able to repay you." Ruth Smeltzer

The topic was the panhandler near our office. One person said anything you give them just goes for alcohol and drugs. Another told of scams run by people who make more money begging than they would at a job. Our office manager said she never gave them any money, because they should be working. When someone suggested that the particular panhandler in question might be disabled and unable to work, our boss laughed scornfully and replied, "Well, that's what I pay taxes for." I thought of piping up with, "Are there no poorhouses?" To give proper credit to Charles Dickens, the exact words of that famous miser Ebenezer Scrooge were, "Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?" Like my boss, Mr. Scrooge didn't think the less fortunate were his problem either.

It's important to be mindful of how you spend your money, and I think thrift is a commendable trait. However, there is a fine line between being frugal and being stingy. What is the miser afraid of anyway? Is there any amount of money that will make her feel prosperous enough, secure enough, blessed enough to open her pocketbook and her heart to the world? For you see, the stingy person isn't just stingy with her money. She tends to be stingy with her time, her talents, her praise, her heart. She lives in a world of her own making, the gray, cold world of Never Enough. Like Scrooge, she sits hunched over her coins, counting them, guarding them fearfully.

My boss didn't hurt the panhandler when she didn't help him out. There are plenty of generous people in the world, people who know they are blessed and want to bless others. The person she hurt most was herself, when she cheated herself out of the joy of giving, the joy of living life with open hands and an open heart.

Susan