It’s a cool story and assuming it is true they did a nice thing. That said, they start off by saying that they would give the man food because they cooked too much and didn’t want to waste it.
They then say later on again that ”instead of wasting it I’d just give it to him and his kids”
Then at the end they start talking about it was “in their heart to give it to him,” But that conflicts the previous statements, especially in context to the fact that they stated they had no idea the man was going through trouble. The implication is that the deed was self motivated by the dislike of food waste not motivated by caring or a desire to help. Now to be clear I am not criticizing their deeds or character as this opens a larger discussion concerning motives and morality- the classic “is it better to do a bad/harmful thing with good intentions or to do a good/helpful thing with bad intentions” and all that mess. Not the discussion I wish to have, but I did think that it is odd how they…
Started off framing their actions one way and then framed them another way later on.
I also would note that giving the man food not knowing that he needs it but because you don’t want to waste it is… odd? Imagine you open your door and there are bags of infant clothes and a 90” 1000lb old school flat screen Tv and a note saying “I didn’t need this stuff but didn’t want to waste it so I gave it to you.” Do you want a giant OG projector flat screen Tv? This is common in relationships between wealthier and less wealthy people and charity like canned food drives. People essentially drop off garbage under the assumption that if someone has things so rough that their garbage must be valuable to that person. The giver gets to get rid of something they don’t want and feel good about it regardless of wether the item is actually useful or wanted by the receiver. Of course it would put one in a socially awkward position if a neighbor kept brining you food you didn’t want.
It would be very easy to seem ungrateful or to generate bad feelings if you rejected their offers wether you wanted them of not.
Point of fact if one was socially anxious enough one might pretend to take the food and then throw it out at work etc. so the neighbor didn’t know and then eventually make up a story about a big promotion and pay the $200 to show them you don’t need their food and hopefully get them to direct their attention elsewhere while Mai ring their illusion they had done some good deed.
They then say later on again that ”instead of wasting it I’d just give it to him and his kids”
Then at the end they start talking about it was “in their heart to give it to him,” But that conflicts the previous statements, especially in context to the fact that they stated they had no idea the man was going through trouble. The implication is that the deed was self motivated by the dislike of food waste not motivated by caring or a desire to help. Now to be clear I am not criticizing their deeds or character as this opens a larger discussion concerning motives and morality- the classic “is it better to do a bad/harmful thing with good intentions or to do a good/helpful thing with bad intentions” and all that mess. Not the discussion I wish to have, but I did think that it is odd how they…
I also would note that giving the man food not knowing that he needs it but because you don’t want to waste it is… odd? Imagine you open your door and there are bags of infant clothes and a 90” 1000lb old school flat screen Tv and a note saying “I didn’t need this stuff but didn’t want to waste it so I gave it to you.” Do you want a giant OG projector flat screen Tv? This is common in relationships between wealthier and less wealthy people and charity like canned food drives. People essentially drop off garbage under the assumption that if someone has things so rough that their garbage must be valuable to that person. The giver gets to get rid of something they don’t want and feel good about it regardless of wether the item is actually useful or wanted by the receiver. Of course it would put one in a socially awkward position if a neighbor kept brining you food you didn’t want.
Point of fact if one was socially anxious enough one might pretend to take the food and then throw it out at work etc. so the neighbor didn’t know and then eventually make up a story about a big promotion and pay the $200 to show them you don’t need their food and hopefully get them to direct their attention elsewhere while Mai ring their illusion they had done some good deed.