Writer advocates compassion for less fortunate

  LETTER TO THE EDITOR  

Editor:

A few days ago, I gave a homeless woman a $20 bill.  The truth is, me giving away $20 is like the Titanic losing one deck chair.  So there's no great deed on my part.

It occurs to me that we pass these people at intersections and on the street all the time and they remain faceless.  They're only faceless because we don't look at their faces.

We have all read the stories about the panhandler who, at the end of the day, gets picked up by someone driving a nice car.  So we ask ourselves, "Is this person conning me?"

Well the answer is, "It doesn't matter."

If you get conned out of $5 or $10, so what?  But on the other hand, you might be giving a person a good meal or feeding their dog.

Whatever you think of me writing this letter doesn't matter.  What matters is the bottom line, and that is maybe some folks will take this to heart, and someone will have a few bucks in his pocket - or a good meal.

Ken Doerfler
Glendale

(Gazette Blog Editor's note: The letter above appeared in the April 28 edition of The Arizona Republic, the Rim Country's best newspaper value.  For home delivery seven days a week, call 1-800-332-6733.  Imagine reading a fair and balanced newspaper.)