Before I began this trip, about 10% of the people I told about it asked me how I felt about being a “freeloader,” taking advantage of people poorer than me, crashing on their floors and accepting their offers of food.
I simply shrugged my shoulders and said I didn’t know. I told them I would weigh in on that later, after I got some time on the road.
I’ve been on the road a month now, and here is what I think about it so far:
When people give you five dollars’ worth of food, they don’t want five dollars in return. They want respect and thankfulness.
If I offer them $5, they feel insulted and disrespected. If I thank them profusely, and then leave a note on their door the next morning thanking them again and praising them for their hospitality, and telling them my mom sends her thanks too for watching over her son, they call me the next day and invite me back for more. They consider me a family member.
Money isolates people. It does not bring them together, and it does not make them feel respected.