I’m not a smoker. I buy cigarettes.
Once a dentist told me that smoking a cigar is the best way to keep bugs away when you’re fishing. That was a great tip, but I only saw that dentist one time.
Two of my family members have lost a battle with cancer. They were smokers.
Smoking a pipe 6 times a year does not mean you’re a smoker. No, I’m not a smoker.
I’m not a smoker, I almost always carry cigarettes. The bood red cowboy-killers sit in the console of my car permanently.
A friend of mine told me, after moving to the city, that he began to notice the people on the street less and less. Like most people, he stopped noticing — half consciously. He didn’t want to be bothered or begged. He didn’t want to be uncomfortable, so he began to notice less and less. He told me that he didn’t like it. He was making an effort to engage every person he came across instead of ignoring he wanted to see all people as people.
My mom used to carry packs of Lance crackers in her car. When we drove to church downtown we would see a man with one arm sitting at the corner of the highway exit. Every week we would hand him some crackers and occasionally a few dollars.
A coworker once told me they don’t give money out. “You never know what someone will do with it.” How can you give money away to someone who might be a drug addict? That’s a common response I think. It’s an easier way to escape the problem.
I’m not a smoker. I don’t support unconscious charity. I don’t support giving away money to strangers — most of the time. If you choose to help someone, you have a moral obligation to ensure, as thoroughly as possible, that your help causes no harm. With this justification, the argument against giving free money is at least somewhat valid.
If you can’t give money then maybe you can give crackers or a care-package. Imagine for a moment, you are the man on the corner with one arm. Would you be grateful for the crackers or the goods to help you, almost certainly. But instead of building you up, I imagine accepting this handout might make you feel a little smaller. Begging reduces you. In most people’s eyes you are less than human, they are busy not noticing you. You may accept the crackers, but they can’t give you what you really need at the core — genuine humanity and real care. So as the person in the car or on the street how do you try to offer that?
I was at the bar one night. I stepped out side and I, the non-smoker, asked a girl for a cigarette. If you’ve been in this situation, smoker or not, you know that sharing that cigarette has the potential to make you instant friends with someone. Suddenly the two of you are in the same situation, and the door opens to an easy conversation.
When you take that lesson out of the bar you can use it to open the door to a conversation that might otherwise be awkward or difficult. With a conversation and introduction you can give someone humanity. Once the conversation starts you can ask, “Hey is there anything you need that I could help you with?” and because of that little nicotine spiked dose of humanity you’re not just a guy on the street, but you’re asking the question as a friend. If you’re not ready for the conversation, that cigarette can just be a kind gesture — a cigarette never feels like charity. That little gesture can bring you a little humanity and help you spread a little humanity and help you start to notice.
If you feel like you’re starting to notice less and less try the cigarettes. You don’t have to smoke them. Remember that the goal is to build a little humanity.
I’m not a smoker. I do buy cigarettes.
