I would like to report a personal experience I had downtown Athens yesterday. I thought very carefully before I say anything, but I think that I would like to share my story after all because my story has a lesson about "human dignity" and "gratitude," in my opinion, that transcend race, ethnicity, culture, social class and financial status and religious affiliation -the kind of "real" values that bring the human race to reconcile with itself indeed. I thought that people would label me "racist" or something. I feel that I am not "racist." I have been/am an immigrant too, and I have lived for prolonged periods of time among other immigrants from all around the world, so I am used to being with people who are "different" than me. In fact, I seek to be with people from all around the world because, as most of my friends know, I love other cultures and foreign lands, and I love to travel and see the world, be with people from other countries and learn about their cultures, religions, languages, traditions, and so forth.
While I was walking downtown Athens yesterday evening, an immigrant (either from Bangladesh or Pakistan, from Southeast Asia I think) approached me, and he asked for money. I had some euros in coins with me, so I reached for my wallet to take the money out to give it to him. It was almost 5 euros. He took the money in his hand, he counted it and he replied to me: "I want 27 euros, my baby needs medicine, the money you gave me is not enough."
I will give him the benefit of the doubt, though, he didn't seem like a person who has a family waiting for him at home. When I replied that I do not have 27 euros, he insisted that the money I gave him is not enough. I had this amount of money with me, but I needed to have money for the cab ride back home because I live in a suburb far away from downtown Athens. Honestly, if I had more money that I could spare, I would give it to him -my philosophy is that if you help poor people in need any way you can when they ask for it, they will not become so desperate to steal and kill for a couple of euros in order to buy necessities, which is ridiculous; hunger is a very bad guide for people, people lose it and cannot think properly. I felt a little guilty in the beginning that I could not give him this amount of money: what if he really has a sick baby at home? Then I thought that if he asked many people for money, even if each person gave him 1 euro, maybe he would be able to get this amount of money. And then, I thought that he could have just said to me: "Thank you miss, that's OK that you don't have more money right now, I appreciate it."
No matter how poor you are, how tormented and how desperate you are; no matter from what country of the world you are, "human dignity" and "gratitude," as qualities that transcend national borders, must accompany you. Nobody has the obligation to give you any money, but if they do, say at least a "Thank you" and then ask for more if you are not happy with the money they gave you...Nobody is entitled to "demand" anything in this world; we all count on each other for help and support during difficult times. So, simple courtesies like this make the world a better place for everybody!
