An eye witness account from New York City , on a cold day in December, some years ago: A little boy,
about 10-years-old, was standing before a shoe store on the roadway, barefooted, peering through the window, and shivering With cold.
A lady approached the young boy and said, ‘My, but you’re in such deep thought staring in that window!’
‘I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes’ was the boy’s reply.
The lady took him by the hand, went into the store, and asked the clerk to get half a dozen pairs of socks
for the boy. She then asked if he could give her a basin of water and a towel. He quickly brought them to her.
She took the little fellow to the back part of the store and, removing her gloves, knelt down, washed
his little feet, and dried them with the towel.
By this time, the clerk had returned with the socks.. Placing a pair upon the boy’s feet, she purchased him
a pair of shoes..
She tied up the remaining pairs of socks and gave them to him.. She patted him on the head and said, ‘No
doubt, you will be more comfortable now.’
As she turned to go, the astonished kid caught her by the hand, and looking up into her face, with tears
in his eyes, asked her.
‘Are you God’s wife?’
No doubt this story touches the noble emotions in your heart. However, just think about this act above. It helped the kid that day and no doubt it is a pleasant experience. But did it solve the problem of this kid permanently – to be able to have permanent earning capacity to have a decent life so that on a very cold winter day you are not without shoes.
You know the answer, though the action is thoughtful and noble, does not solve the issue at hand. You can only get people out of a disadvantaged situation by teaching them to fish and not by giving fish.
You know all the the people who were in advantage and squander it away. Such people will always be there in all groups. When you focus on permanent solution, you are focusing on the meritorious but disadvantaged.