Cruel World

"...You'd grudge your servant a pinch of salt from your own larder, you who lounge at the next man's board but lack the heart to tear a crust of bread and hand it on to me, though there's god plenty here." - Odysseus, Book 17, Lines 503-506

This quote reminds me a lot of beggars today and how today's society treats/interprets them. Although we don't know what beggars have gone through in their past, many of us hesitate to give them money or food. Whenever a beggar asks me for money, I always give them some. I think of how I would feel in their situation. Maybe they wasted their life and dropped out of school, but what if you did the same? As far as I'm concerned, you'd still be a human who still needs food, water, shelter, etc. I see many people who certainly have change or have food that they don't want but still do not give it to these people. Back then, with exception to Antinous, people did not hesitate to give others food or shelter even if they did not know them or their past. When people saw others in a bad situation, they helped them. The world was a much more trusting and hospitable place back then, but has changed greatly overtime. The world today seems to be a paranoid and unkind place in which everyone only cares about their own well being.