This frustrates me

I know I've talked at great lengths how some human behaviors bother me. Here's an example.

There was a story on the news this morning about a teacher's aide at a school in Texas who claimed he had cancer. A Go Fund Me page was set up to help pay for his treatment. They had rallies and things at his school for him. He was even given a car.

He didn't have cancer after all. Apparently he made it all up, took the money, took the car, went to West Virginia.

This kind of thing frustrates me. I see it as a form of embezzlement - in a way, it's even worse, because it's embezzlement of good-will as well as of money. Do you think those kids who went to rallies for him, who maybe gave their allowance for his supposed treatment, will feel so free to do that next time? Do you think the community will be as quick to surround the next person facing cancer or some other serious diagnosis with love?

I don't know.

There are so many feelings this brings up in me - I have a hard time trusting people to begin with so when I see something like this it sort of feeds that dark side of my personality that says "See? People will just take from you whenever they can." And the flip side of it is that I have a hard time asking for help myself when I need it, because I am afraid of imposing on people or asking too much of them.

And yet, I want to be generous. I want to be loving and share what I have (And I have given to a couple of Go Fund Me campaigns, but in at least one case it was for someone I regard as a friend and about whom I absolutely know the issue they were facing was true). And I feel that my faith guides me to do that....but I also don't like feeling like a fool.

(I don't give money to the people standing around randomly with "Out of gas, stranded, need help" signs, or to panhandlers on the street. Maybe that's wrong of me, I don't know, but like I said: I don't like being taken and there is a non-zero percentage out there of people with sad stories that aren't true. I prefer to do things like give money to the local Ministerial Alliance, which has the ability to vet people a bit, or give food to a local food bank, which I KNOW helps people who are genuinely in need)

I would hope, now that the individual who scammed this school and this town (And yes, it IS a scam if you lie about being in need or in distress and you actually aren't) will pay back every penny, but I bet he doesn't....because some people who do those kinds of things are also good at justifying why they are entitled to do that.

I don't know. This is just one of the unpleasant things in the world, and for me, it tends to tell the darker side of my personality, "See? Don't trust ANYONE" which probably at times closes me off from either being able to do good when I could, or from forming a relationship with someone.

***

Also, is it just me or has January felt like it's been about three months long?