So I was walking back from Sparks Street in downtown Ottawa this morning, having gone over to the Royal Bank of Canada branch in town to pay and mail off my off-campus work permit. The sounds of Yellowcard vibrated through my ears; it wasn’t a song I particularly liked, but I didn’t want to spare a hand to change tunes on my iPod as I needed them to hold on to something as I negotiated the slippery sidewalks.
The path I took back wound under a small underpass by Rideau Street; this underpass was notorious for being the favourite haunt of homeless people and beggars alike, and today was no different. Amidst the scattered puddles of murky water and softened snow (we saw above zero temperatures in Ottawa today) stood a middle-sized homeless man, holding a guitar with his back against the wall. Although relatively clean, the signs of hard living showed in his gear – he had paper thin gloves, a tattered and dirty snow cap, and his jacket and scarf looked like they could render a washing machine to tears and embarrassment.
His empty guitar case lay a few feet in front of him; said musical instrument was in the man’s hands as he hummed and strummed, almost aimlessly, trying to earn his keep. His playing wasn’t spectacular, unlike some of the hobos I’ve seen who could actually put Britney Spears out of business (on the condition that they had a shave and grew boobs, of course); in fact, one would be hard pressed to find even the fragment of a note in this particular street performance.
I find it hard to resist trying to help out, especially if I have some loose change. So I dug my hand in my pocket as I approached the yodeling hobo; my groping fingers felt the familiar size of the Canadian quarter and prepared it for charity.
Even then, I admit I actually hesitated – I am flat broke as it is, and as a student in another country, you never know if the spare quarter you have in your hands right now could be your last for the week. And again I admit, I was thinking about myself at the moment…I had no bread left in my larder, and the only thing in my biscuit jar was nothing.
Oh what the hell.
As I passed the homeless radio’s guitar case, I bent down and chucked in a quarter – I even managed to count the amount of money he had in his begging case – there was a loonie and a twonie, amongst two more quarters (including my own); a grand total of CAD 3.50, that’s how little he had in his coffers. I then rose from my stoop and continued on my way.
And as I raised my head I caught the sight of a sincere smile from the face belonging to the body holding the guitar. It was a pure smile, one that conveyed appreciation and sincere gratitude.
“Thank you man, I appreciate it! Have a good day!“
I smiled back; I don’t think I need words – on any given day, even a smile is thanks enough.
But this man had more in the way of gratitude. I had barely taken five steps before I started flailing and sprawling, my sneakers struggling to find a grip on the warm, melting ice. Behind me a voice called out:
“Oh yeah, walk on the peanuts okay? Be careful and watch your step!“
What peanuts?
And then I saw them: strewn and scattered on the ice were small brown peanut fragments, ground into the snow. The little things provided for frictional relief and traction as one ascended the slippery slope out of the underpass…someone had deliberately bought a packet of grocery peanuts, smashed them up, and placed them on the ground for others to walk safely…
The memory of a certain sincere smile crept into my head, along with the sounds of nonsensical strumming just behind me.
I should have given him a dollar.
…
“Lead on to save me-
Lead us all there,
Find me some answers-
It’s time that you cared…”
- Words, Hands, Hearts by Yellowcard.
13 comments
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04/03/2008 at 6:56 PM
Hakim
cheers to thy hand which did a noble deed!
cheers to thy soul that cares about others!
i’m proud to be a malaysian. and you should be too
04/03/2008 at 11:53 PM
atif
this post had me thinking more than it had me bursting with something to say for comment. sometimes we worry too much for own selves, and i feel ashamed for having done a lot of that nowadays
>.<cheers bro, i like this post =)
Ps. Hahahaha the TGG essay not appearing under Top Posts anymore, eh? XD
05/03/2008 at 1:16 AM
snuggybunny
Hehe, I would spare some change for homeless in Malaysia. But in Canada, having the thought that homeless here receive monthly allowance from the government (which is from the bloody tax u pay!!), I kinda hesitate.
But I actually did something different. (Hahaha.. buat mcm blog aku sendiri plak)
For every interest I received every month from the bank (which sometimes can reach up to $7), kan duit tu tak halal for muslims kan, so i actually made some cookies, and buy some chocolates, n give it to them.
Kalau bagi duit, nanti they’ll spend ‘em utk beli arak or rokok.. hehe.. that’s my way. =D
Anyways, what ever way is it, the intention is all that matters.
Proud to have a gold-hearted friend like you. =D
05/03/2008 at 5:13 AM
kookie
bijak jugak miss anem above.
nways tho, its a good post, nice one indeed. just good for bed starter.
05/03/2008 at 9:29 AM
snuggybunny
terima kasih pakcik kookie, kuikuikui.
(see irv, aku buat mcm blog aku plak ni. agaga~~ )
opps, nanti kna hang + shot to death. ^_^
i agree, nice post. =D
05/03/2008 at 6:17 PM
snuffleupagush
@ Kookie:
Thanks for the compliments man! Hope it made your day + gave you something to think about
Btw. I’ll be heading up to Halifax this 14th to 16th March…Canadian National Debate Championships at Dalhousie University.
I finally get to see the great Nova Scotia lol
@ Hakim:
I am sure many of us would have done the same.
You flatter me old friend
And LOL. It was just a quarter pun (slightly less than RM 1).
@ Atifiano:
Interestingly, I was thinking about your possible responses even before I worte the post tau @.@ Funny how you seem to indirectly control the contents of this blog hahahaha (AGAGAGAGA). Except on The Black Mages LOLOLOLOL…that one I RULE XD XD
Glad you liked it
And yes TGG has died down, apparently=p Hahaha, I think you can’t Google Search a hidden doc XD XD
Thanks for the idea anyway, but I do think it might be too late…entah berapa juta orang dah plagiarize ke apa wiwuiwuwiwu…
@ Anemiano:
HOI KAMU. Thanks for dropping by! Am glad you like the post also (asal post ni popular nak mampus nih lol…Its doing VERY well for a text only post @.@) !!! And jangan ah puji in public…wuuu..segan aku LOLOLOLOL XD
Puji diam2 kat Sherbrooke boleh XD
And hey. I didn’t know it was haram @.@ Is it? Why is it so? Sebab takder usaha and all that stuff ke? Tapi kalau orang nak bagi…bukan boleh ke?
Asal aku discuss issue nih…aku bukan Imam Besar Ottawa pun XD
05/03/2008 at 11:45 PM
snuggybunny
Ifraniano:
HOI KAMU jugak. Haha. Takmo puji kamu dah. =P
Psal halal n haram tu, hukhuk.. saya ni agak jahil bab2 hukum ni sket. Tapi yg confident saye boleh ckp die something psal interest = riba = penindasan.
Any types of penindasan terhadap ape2 golongan is not permitted. Bunga-bunga cinta dari bank tu kan menindas peminjam2 dan pihak yg sewaktu dengannya.
Huhu.. My knowledge in this matter in kinda shallow la Imam Besar Irfan. LOL. Psal aurat perempuan ngan perempuan which we discussed @ sherbrooke 543 hari tu pun saya tau dari Mira Carleton yg comel itu beberape bulan yang lepas. Kalau die tak bitau saye amatla “gamble”. AGAGAGAGA~~
Tapi saye sangat ingat instantaneous response kamu, “I expect more region”. WAHAHHAHAHA. =DDD tak boleh blah btol.
And you call me “Anem Jahat”? =P I just said something like room key, which doesnt portray any kind of steamy behaviour. LOL
(wahh, berani sungguh aku pki verb steamy tu. =.=’)
05/03/2008 at 11:59 PM
snuggybunny
erratum; “adjective” steamy.
huhu.. inferior tol menulis di page kamu ini. ^_^
n saye lom jmpe lagi gmbr apartment kamu yg knon2 selesa itu.
06/03/2008 at 12:44 AM
farahhanani
you know , i have to say that sometimes i am quite embarassed to these street performers cum homeless because i couldnt even play a single tune on any musical instrument and these less privileged individuals play Yellow by Cold Play on their guitar/ harp/ violin.
in my opinion, i will help when my deep gut feeling say help, then i think your bona fide intention to help will not be wasted. because sometimes, you just knew these marginalised lot just look too shady that we can actually imagine some harm will be done unto us if we offer help.back home, its a huge industry, being beggars. they dont pay the tax, they dont have a home. Lets just picturise this,imagine 100 people giving 20 cents each per day. In KL , reaching out to 100 people is not that hard. Just sit in a pose that most resemble agony in on one of the most busy LRT station, say, Masjid Jamek.Thats RM 20 per day. times 30 days then they earn about RM 600 per month. Thats equivalent to a month salary of a being a waitress!!!. And they did that just by begging.And as i said,you”ll definitely reach more than 100 people per day in KL. Especially these professional beggars who hire the whole family.
I am sorry, but i have seen the inner workings of these begggars. 3.50 in the coffers might had been true in your case but you know that’s not always the case. Bile penuh masuk poket tinggallah bekas kosong and sambung balik.
Once , i was so taken aback+ impressed because a homeless actually greets me with assalamualaikum and it would have been too mean if i didn’t spare a change for him. But now, since he greeted me in the same manner every time, then… pokailah..
bottom line is: a good deed is never unappreciated no matter how it turns out to be.
you did a good deed. and i think thats already good enough.(and we can see that the saying ” what goes around comes around” was fully operative in this case since your generosity was repaid in form of , funnily, peanuts)
06/03/2008 at 10:59 AM
atif
hey asal makin banyak orang rivalling my comment length nih HEY *tak puas hati WTH XD* hahaha curiously same case here gak dude =) (though i have a feeling the both of us have sort of already known that.. subconsciously, i think? HAHA bapak romantic seyh XD)
and anyway, in a bid to reclaim my throne (=p), let me add to what Anemiano (my namesake?! LOL @.@) had said on the issue interest ie usury, and here I take the liberty of being a bit convoluted to give justice to (ironically) the clearity of my explainations (though undoubtedly they will not be without flaws):
The most basic reason why the interest we get from bank savings is regarded as haram by Muslims (although we’re not directly involved in loaning, etc) is simply because it is haram in principle in our religion. In Islam, we believe that God has forbidden usury – ie interest – in giving out loans, and here I shall explain it on more general terms before we go back to banking.
I feel Anem had pretty much said it right with her given equation of concepts, as usury – or its proper term as per Islamic jurisprudence, riba’ – is regarded as oppressive, and thus haram. For one, it does not exactly serve to help the needy by compounding to their financial problems when you increase the amount they’re to pay you back after you give them a loan. It also, by default, turns the charitable act of helping others financially into a form of business, because you don’t help people and then ask for something in return. It is probably as much a matter of “takde usaha” as it is about betraying the good intention of loaning out money and helping the needy, and also of inadvertently exploiting someone’s need for one’s own gain/profit. I mean, yes, I guess some take the interest-added loans as an informed choice, but at the end of the day, it is not the issue of them being “informed” that we are really concerned with, but rather the question of whether they even had a “choice” in the first place, if you get me – you can draw parallels with the mechanics of loan shark businesses. People, desperate as they are, still accept the loan sharks’ terms, because they want that immediate relief.
This is specifically the problem with one-on-one loans.
While the system present in banks is, well, more systematic, with us not exactly “physically” giving out our money to others and then collecting the interest that is due (we can’t even nominate the interest rate), the fact remains that that’s how we get that extra cash from our savings. It doesn’t matter if the loaning of money through banks is through relatively more “civil” means, in that the party needing the loan is made as informed as possible of what’s to come and that they themselves are made to agree to the terms. By principle, it is still a “corruption” in the intention of helping another financially, according to Islam.
I was myself tempted+harassed (rather incessantly, though understandably) by the bank peeps here down in Auckland to open up a savings account instead of a current account so that I can get up to $700 per year (which would serve pretty well for the flight ticket to Cork, eh?) I decided I’d rather stick with what I only have right over. To me, just because they explained it all nicely and that the people involved (or at least a number of them) are happy with the interests they have to pay, it does not belie the fact that it is wrong, again, in principle, for Muslims. One can’t claim to believe and hold by certain principles and then in the same breath choose to abandon them when it suddenly seems comfortably convenient to do so – how much credence would you give to that sort of conviction, eh? That’s like saying that one believes that stealing is wrong, but to steal and later feed the poor with the loot is right. Stealing is wrong in principle, and can only be tolerated under special circumstances (like stealing food to keep alive), but where is the needful ground for justification of interest? I mean, if one needs money so much as to compound a loan with interest, then why give out that loan in the first place? @.@ And, besides, working is an easier (ie faster, not to mention more effective) way to earn lol.
In Islam, we are told that loans should be an action of goodwill and charity – that the act must not become a burden, but rather itself acts to lift a burden from the needy. Other than allowing for a higher probability of early repayment, it also helps to cement positive communal relations. And I think it is also relevant to add that the burden of a debt does not manifest itself only financially and physically for a Muslim, for through that loan agreement, the one borrowing also has a binding contract to fulfill the right of the one lending to a return of his money, and the issue of unpaid debts is not to be regarded lightly (in more terms). On the issue of the one given the loan wanting to add a bit extra to the money returned as a “gift”, then it would be regarded just as such, if i’m not mistaken, ie a gift =) I believe though that this is strictly in such a case whereby the one giving out the loan does not impress on the one taking it that such a “gift” must be given (because that would make it interest anyway, regardless of what you want to call it). If such a gift is deserving, then let the debtor give it out of his own accord=)
So. Yeah. Having said all that, I have to stress that this is all a matter of religious beliefs, and I make no judgment to those who enjoy the interest from their banks =) (I make judgment of the concept and the action, though, and I reserve that right as being within every individual’s personal capacity for opinion=p) Everyone has different opinions of things, and it’s up to each person to decide which they feel is right for them, and if what is right for them is right for others.
But anyhow, hope this clears up the issue why bank interests is regarded as haram by Muslims =)
Wallahualam – I’ve tried my best to explain to the extent of my knowledge, but God knows best.
06/03/2008 at 6:39 PM
anem
Though i dont understand what’s that “(my namesake?! LOL @.@)” is for, but..
atifiano:
WOAHHHHHH.
three words: Dude, you rocks! LOLOLOL XPPP
I really2 agree on this statement:
“Everyone has different opinions of things, and it’s up to each person to decide which they feel is right for them, and if what is right for them is right for others.”
“What’s right and what’s wrong” thingy has been the most debating issue for me and other peers. Sometimes i also self-debate if what i’m doing is right, but in another view it is wrong.
Even though I tried to put religion as my core foundation in making decision on what’s wrong and what’s right, I still find myself giving excuses due to some lineancy (betol ke spelling ni?) or “kemudahan” that Islam permits.
“Niat tak menghalalkan cara” some people said. (I dunno if it’s a hadith). Then what about the hadith which is on the very first index of Riyadus Solihin @ Hadith Al-Bukhari; “Innama a’malu bin Niat” = Sesuatu amal bermula dengan niat?
Perhaps I’m the one yang tak cukup kuat ilmu in agama, that’s why I’m having problem in this issue. Shame on me. ^_^
I’ll work harder to be a good muslim. I will try.
To blogmaster Irv:
Nampaknya post kamu dah diverge dari content sebenar. LOL. >.<
07/03/2008 at 12:58 AM
atif
@anemiano:
Japjap I’m interpreting one too many things from your reply and I think there’s a need for me to make this clear: I’m not sure whether you took it as that, or if I’m just interpreting your reply wrongly, but pape pun I make no judgments tau @.@ I find your spending of the interest to make cookies for homeless people very, very sweet, seriously =) I guess living abroad, we sometimes don’t have a choice as to whether or not we’d want to receive interest and be involved in such a system (and I’m quite sure if I had a higher amount of lump cash, I would not have been able to open a current account myself
>.<), so the issue then is how best to deal with the money without spending it on ourselves… I guess?=pPape pun, on your compliment, thanks very much, I’m glad my attempt at an explanation is appreciated=) BUT, I have to say that I am FAR from claiming to have enough knowledge to be authoritative on the issue tau @.@ Jauh gila3 nak mampus – I only speak based on what I remember I have learned, that’s all =)
And, umh, wawawa can’t help it, sorry XD Nak comment gak: on niat, IMHO there’s probably no direct linking between the two statements, kot, so they are not to say “contradictory” =) I mean, the first is a statement of disagreement to the Machiavellian philosophy, the other pulak speaks on the matter of sincerity, kan? =p
(AND HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Ving, memang macam nak jadi Oh!God seyh dowh XD K k I’ll keep off the topic from now on, at least in commenting to this post =p)
Ms. S. Bunny, i take my leave =) cheers!
07/03/2008 at 11:18 AM
Hakim
Irving:
less than MYR1, but if bring up smile on one’s face, worth it ma…
Atif:
ko neh memang suke menaip ek? machine gun in the type of the dead. @.@ anyway, thanks for sharing the knowledge. know what? most of us must have been forgotten about it.