When I was at the hospital a couple of days ago, an Indian lady stopped me in the corridor while I was on my way to the clinic where I had the appointment. She told me that she needed to buy her prescription pills but the pills cost RM80 and she didn't have the money.
I was in a mad rush. I did think of taking her to the pharmacy and purchasing the meds for her but I was already late for my 11 am appointment, as it was (finding a parking space was hell at around 10:30 am at the hospital, so I discovered. Note to self: got to get to the hospital by 9 am even though the appointment is at 11 am just so that I can get a parking space!), and so, I just gave her RM10 instead to help her out.
In the next hour or so, I wondered if I had been duped. What if the money was not for meds but for something else? Why hadn't I taken a picture of her? Had I been taken for a ride by her story?
In the end, this is how I reconciled it all: If the money was indeed not used for meds, I hope she used it for something that she needed and it improved her life, if only by a minute bit.
I can't go second guessing what she is going to really do with the money that I gave her as it would make me more suspicious of others who might come along my way in life and who might really need my help. I hope I helped her in some way. I hope to be able to help others freely and without second guessing their intentions.
Besides, she would have to convince other people to give her some funds in order to get the RM80. If she manages to convince enough people to raise the funds, then, she deserves it as she worked to raise the funds. I just hope that whatever she used the money for, it was spent in a wise manner and it improved her life.
