Theos-Talk Archives (May 1997 Message tl00423)

I wrote:

>> In my former spiritual home most everything was based on voluntary
>> donations. The lessons were an exception, but even there the modest fees
>> were not usually enforced. Many people were responsible and donated what
>> they could - either money or services. Others were freeloaders. You will
>> probably always find this mix of people.  (Amusing aside: the freeloaders
>> were also the ones who rushed to the head of the refreshment tables and
>> loaded their plates high with food.)

M K Ramadoss <ramadoss@eden.com> wrote:

> In the eastern traditions, it is considered high honor and a good deed to
> feed fellow human beings. So no one looked at *free loaders* as free
> loaders.

> In the present day western world, the view is radically different.

This may be a difference between East and West. Though I can't say for sure, I
suspect the fellow human beings fed in eastern traditions were the hapless
victims of society who could not afford to pay.

My definition of a free-loader is someone would could pay in some form, but
doesn't. In any case, one has no right to make any global judgments about
about their inmost character. What motivated my statement is the realization
that the person who can pay will get much further by an attitude of earning
than by accepting handouts for nothing.

Maybe the compassionate Mother East is more correct than stern Father West
but I suspect the spirit of both do not really contradict one another.

> my 2 cents worth.

If offered in the right spirit, they are worth millions ;)