Charity: Is it Always Appropriate?

THE STRANGE THING About charity is that sometimes it isn't helpful.

"Incentive" is a word I'm sure most of us are familiar with. For those who aren't, it's as simple as "a thing that motivates or encourages people to do something", or 'a thing that people respond to.'

It's important in any given situation to determine what the incentives are for each person involved. If you can determine their incentive, you can also guess at how they're probably going to act.

In the case of the homeless- what happens when you give them money?

Depends a lot on the guy.

Arguably, many people will have reduced incentives to get a job and earn money for a house. After all, if all they have to do is hold out a cup and watch money fall into it, the lazier ones could see that as a better alternative to a work schedule, and even the somewhat-less lazy might think twice about moving on.

Which is not to mention the intense correlation between substance abuse and homelessness. A study by the National Coalition for the homeless determined "38% of homeless people were dependent on alcohol and 26% abused other drugs" in 2007*. It's entirely possible, even likely, that the money you spend will be spent in such a manner, reducing further any chance that the one you have "aided" will ever seek employment or become productive. 

*[Source: http://www.cohhio.org/pdf/Training/Homeless%20Sub-Populations.pdf]

If you spend money on a man in need and in so doing reduce the odds that he will rise in socio-economic status, you may have given him enough money to sustain himself for weeks, but have you really done him a favor in the long run?

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On the other hand, efforts such as disaster relief have little else besides a positive impact. The fact that a member of the red cross saved my life by providing food and shelter, which was taken away from me by a hurricane, probably isn't going to make me consider working less or living off charity.

Charitable organizations that take kids from failing public schools and pay for their tuition at a functioning private school will likely skyrocket a child's odds of becoming successful.

Funding the growth of a church organization that teaches adequate moral behavior and encourages a good culture is going to be in the best interest of the people under its influence.

So it's a case-by-case basis.

Even amongst feeding the homeless it's a case-by-case basis-- though oftentimes I think this does more harm than good.

If your internal moral compass drives you to help someone in need by the side of the road, a word of advice to you, to at least prevent your efforts from going to waste on something so careless as alcohol:

Instead of money, give them food.