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MY SUNDAY JOURNAL
By Dalton Roberts
IPS Features
3-23-03
DO
GOODERS DON'T ALWAYS DO GOOD
After listening to a
preacher say we are all responsible for men in gutters, in '89 I wrote
in my journal, "I am not sure it is good to make good people feel
responsible for those in gutters. It is natural to reach out to brothers
and sisters just because they are brothers and sisters but we should not
feel responsible for that which we didn't create.
"No one knows why all men in gutters got there. Some may have been
victims of sick home situations. Some are victims of addictions. But
there are many unexplainables. Even if you build a wall a mile high, I
am convinced some people would climb the wall just to get in a gutter.
"You can pull some people out over and over and they will crawl
right back in.
"My best advice to those wanting to do gutter work is to tune into
situations and than follow your intuition. If you feel you should help,
then help. But don't see yourself as responsible for people who get in
the gutter.
"I have seen people go around trying to get people out of the
gutter for their own ego motivations. They brag about how many they have
saved. Or they brainwash them with their own belief system. They were
not interested in the poor souls for their own good. They wanted a notch
in their own spiritual stick or a willing follower.
"People with addictions are a special challenge. If you simply give
them money, you are actually feeding their addictions - like throwing a
cup of gasoline on their fire. One of the hardest things in this life is
saying 'no' to people we love who ask for money when we know they have
addictions. At some point we have to emphatically tell them what a hell
they are making of our own life.
"Do gooders don't always do good"
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