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Originally Posted by thaiduytrinh  Thank you very much for all the replies. I really appreciate them.
I want to clarify my earlier post a little bit. His comment that I didn't have a kind heart didn't bug me so much. Rather, I am looking for a better way to cut off the conversation in case that they pressed me further. Your answers would definitely help.
I agree with ns123 that giving out money is not the indication of kind heart. Many of us pay them to go away. I also don't think the money would help them in any way except encouraging him to go on with that kind of lifestyle |
I have a feeling there may be a cultural gap here between the context of your daily social experience and that of many on the forum here... It sounds like you live in a community where this kind of begging or street-level sales is common...am I correct? If so, maybe confronting an authentically potentially dangerous or imbalanced stranger is not the wisest approach. And you don't need to take it upon yourself to help each one of these people...unless you have the resources and feel it's your calling. But you are saying you don't even have your own income.
So sounds to me the truest and simplest response is, "Sorry, I have no money available for charity or donations. All the best to you..." And then move on, and don't engage in discussion.
In a society where begging is common, you could make it your full-time occupation if you listened and conversed and explained yourself to every case plead...draining your energy and time away from where you can make a real contribution and difference in the world!
Of course, there will be exceptions, and you must listen to your inner guidance about this. But probably your inner guidance will be clearer and more dependable to you when you get better at setting boundaries like this and more comfortable saying "no".