Greetings Amigos! I am currently spending my last night at Tiberias, which is by the Sea of Galilee. 3 nights ago, a girl from Namibia entered my hostel and begged the owner for a discount rate as she claimed she had no money. She plucked the heartstrings of the owner by saying that she would be stranded on the streets if he did not give her a place to stay. As a gentleman, he took pity on her and gave her a room for the night.
Like the owner, I also had sympathy for her and wanted to offer to pay for her stay. However, I did not. This is because I found her demeanour very dodgy; I was afraid that if she were to be put in the same dorm as I, she would steal my belongings. As the title says, what would you do? Is self preservation so vital that we should sacrifice compassion based on a premonition? I don't know.
To me, I find it terribly difficult to reconcile my surival instinct with my heart. They exist in tumult and complete disharmony. On one hand, doing the pragmatic thing would be utterly selfish and make my heart heavy laden. On the other, I may have to deal with every unpleasant consequence of putting myself in a vulnerable situation just because I had a heart. This is perhaps why I reserve altruism for very few people in the world.
-Kenneth Wong
P.S For the record, that girl lied to the owner about her lack of money because she returned for 3 nights with a host of excuses. She essentially didn't want to pay the full rate and paid 2/3 the normal price.
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