Dear Sir;
I saw you today as I drove home from work. You were on a street corner, sitting in a wheelchair. Your clothes were tattered, your face unshaved, and you held a sign. It said "Down on luck, Please help"
And in the time it took for me to see all of that, and process it, she became visible. Standing behind you, her hands on your shoulders, was a girl. She looked to be no older than 10, a dark haired, serious faced child. A child.
And I'm sorry to tell you, sir, in that moment I lost all sympathy for you. Instead my heart went out to that child, that kid. That poor little girl, who was spending a beautiful autumn afternoon standing behind you.
I wish I could say our eyes met, hers and mine, and that I saw something. A flicker of anything: sorrow, despair, hope. Any emotion. But instead, she stood like a statue, frozen perfectly in place, her eyes straight ahead. And that frightened me.
Sir, perhaps all appearances were true. I know I've become a bit jaded over the years. I've seen many men like you, holding signs. At first I did what I could, money, food, warm coats. But many are scammers, so I stopped.
Perhaps whatever put you in that wheelchair stopped your livelihood, maybe all the systems we have in this wonderful country failed you. Maybe you fell through the cracks. I'm sad to say, you wouldn't be the first.
But even if all of that applied, please sir, tell me. Why did you bring that child with you? What are you trying to teach her about life? Or are you trying to teach her at all? Do you care about this child, or is she merely a prop?
How dare you. How dare you take away her pride, her joy? Why would you humiliate her that way?
Doesn't it matter that all the lessons she learns now, she will have to live with for many years?
You must think I'm callous. Perhaps she is your child, and you cannot feed her. You think, "How dare you judge me. You have a home, and food. You can walk."
And that is true, yes. But you do not know my story, so perhaps I do have the right to call you to account for this.
You are teaching this child that she won't have to work to survive. People will give her things. So when she grows up, what skills will she have to survive? Begging?
You are teaching her to hide within herself, to hide her emotions. To become a statue when things are bad.
Perhaps you are teaching her an inner strength, but you are forcing her to grow up too quickly.
A beautiful autumn day. You don't need money to walk in the sunshine, play tag or hide and seek. It costs nothing to allow a child to be a child.
Please sir, consider what I have said.