Recently I have tried to do this “touching grass” thing, again, and it’s difficult. Any fleeting joy of participating in this thing we call society, the moment I notice a homeless person struggling, it just evaporates. How can I enjoy participating in social events when most of them involve exchange of goods that could have been used for the purposes of helping those in need?
Do I need to donate a certain % of my income and then I get a pass? Well I don’t have an income, how much do I need to give then? Should I deduct a % of any money I get and set that aside for donations? Should I donate to local causes or international? Who gets the priority? Can I justify spending any money on things like a movie ticket to see a movie with friends, why so? What makes me more important than the person struggling on the street right next to the theater?
Are there any resources or guides you could point me towards? Is this something you’ve struggled with and found ways to cope with it? If so how have you managed?
(edit: I made an update in the comments. )
I cope by doing what I can to mitigate the harm. Working homeless services is really stressful and the whole nonprofit system has some inherent problems, but my average work day is spent creating a place where people can stay and get connected to free services while homeless, and that feels better than when I worked in a warehouse.