09-02-2010, 04:10 PM
Perhaps this catalyst is more than it seems to be. Perhaps refusing the man stirred something in your heart- a desire to give more freely, that would not have been awakened otherwise. The choices you make do matter, but the wisdom you gain from them and what you do with that wisdom mean even more, in my humble opinion. So I wouldn't beat yourself up too much, just remember how you felt the next time a situation comes up. Plus, it seems like you were trying to balance wisdom with compassion here...using past experiences to gain insight on what would be an appropriate choice of action. Isn't that what we're all trying to do?
My husband always talks about this scene in this old Star Wars role playing computer game he used to have. In it, a begger asks your character for money. If you don't give him the money he starves, but if you do give it to him he gets killed by people that saw him get the money who wanted to rob him. He always brings that silly game up when I question my decisions. The scary thing is, it's right. You never know *what* kind of results your decisions will have.
My husband always talks about this scene in this old Star Wars role playing computer game he used to have. In it, a begger asks your character for money. If you don't give him the money he starves, but if you do give it to him he gets killed by people that saw him get the money who wanted to rob him. He always brings that silly game up when I question my decisions. The scary thing is, it's right. You never know *what* kind of results your decisions will have.