“It is impossible to help someone who refuses to help themselves.” You’ve probably heard that saying a lot, even though it’s an old adage.
Unfortunately, this is typically true: if someone isn’t fully committed to giving themselves the best chance, it’s very difficult to help them or alter their life, no matter how hard you try.
Ryan Bray, a native of Florida, knows a lot about that. On his way home from work, he reportedly regularly sees homeless individuals begging on the street. One Sunday, Ryan decided to help out as best he could when he saw a man narrating a particularly tragic story.
Instead of simply giving the man some spare change, which wouldn’t help his situation overall, Ryan tried to think bigger and more ambitiously. By offering the panhandler $15 per hour to work for his family’s business, he essentially gave him an opportunity to permanently quit the streets.
To his astonishment, the beggar in question had no intention whatsoever of obtaining a respectable career. In an hour, he told Ryan, he would be happy to sit on the street and beg for more money than he was getting from Ryan.
At that time, of course, Ryan didn’t believe it. After offering the man the chance to turn his life around, he decided to act, only to have the gesture backfired.
Ryan made his own sign when he got home and returned to the same location on the street. There he was, carrying his sign, openly shaming the beggar who had become angry at being led off the streets.
Ryan’s banner warned other members of the public not to give money to beggars, explaining that he had tried all in his ability to help the homeless man in question but that his generosity had been received with scorn.
“I offered him $15.00 an hour to do yardwork for me, and he refused,” stated Ryan’s side. “If we as a community stop paying them, they will disappear from our neighborhood!”
According to accounts, the homeless man accused Ryan of lying and said that he had never received a job offer.
Ryan described his encounter with the homeless man in this story as follows:
“He asked, ‘Hey, do you have any money?’ and rested his arms inside my car. I said, “No, I have a better one for you.”
To find out more about Ryan’s story, watch the video below:
