After Steven’s neighbor Alvin comes begging for food and complaining that his children are hungry, Steven gives him some food from what he had stored, but only after telling him not to come back for more. Alvin had always mocked Steven for his “hoarding” ways. After sending Alvin on his way with a sack of food, Steven returns to his living room for a discussion with his family about the morality of charity.
The entire household was sitting in the living room, staring at him after he sent Alvin on his way. Their faces screamed with curiosity. They had seen him taking the bag of food from the basement, but he had said nothing.
“Okay everybody. I can see it on your faces. Let’s hear it. It’s time we had this talk anyway. What just happened there won’t be the last. It’s times like this that test our character and our understanding of survival.”
Claire was the first to speak. She had the softest heart of anyone in the family, and Steven had a good idea what she was about to say.
“Dad, I didn’t hear what you said, but we know what you did. You gave him some food, didn’t you?”
“Yes, I did Claire. But I also told him not to come back. We won’t be giving him anything else.”
“But Dad, he has two little kids. Surely you won’t let them starve will you?”
Steven knew some preppers struggled with this classic moral dilemma. He had heard and read a lot of tough talk since he had taken up prepping. The solutions for it covered a broad spectrum between two extremes. Some said they would never share with those who refused to prepare. On the other extreme, many said they would share their last bit of food with even a stranger. There was plenty of room in between. Before he shared his thoughts with the rest of his family, he would allow them to hash it out among themselves.
“Look guys, there’s a lot to be considered here. Let me lay it out for you, then I want to hear what you all have to say about it. But understand this first. Your Mom and I were the ones that went to the trouble and expense to prepare for things just like this. While others were spending their time and money on frivolous activities, we were setting aside some things for times just like this.
It’s important to understand what we have first. As far as water is concerned, we have little to worry about. We have ample rainfall here plus we have a full time creek running less than two hundred yards from our back door. And because we prepared, we have many ways to filter the water to make it safe. Food is a different story. Each person requires a certain number of calories and nutrients to survive and remain moderately healthy. I’ve taken the time to learn what that is for most adults, both male and female. I have enough food stored, right now, that will meet our nutritional needs for eighteen months for a family of four. We have five right now, so we can do the math to figure out how long it will last us. Many of our neighbors have done something similar and others were fortunate enough to stock up when I suggested they do a couple of weeks ago.
What you just saw happen from our neighbor Alvin is only the beginning. We will be faced with this for a long time to come. There will be others. And by the way, Alvin has consistently ridiculed me for my preparations, now he comes to our door with his hands out. Now, I want to hear what each of you think about this and what you propose to do with others as our supplies dwindle. Claire, you brought this up. How would you propose we handle this.”
“I don’t know Dad, but I can’t stand the thought of people starving to death while we have enough. What about his kids? It’s not their fault their father didn’t prepare. How would you feel if I hadn’t made it home and I was out begging from someone who had prepared better?”
It’s never as simple as it would seem. “I don’t pretend to have all the right answers. I just want to know how you all feel about it. How about you Frances?” said Steven.
“I see what you’re saying Dad,” said Frances. “But honestly, I can’t imagine watching his kids starve to death. You’re obviously leaning in that direction too, otherwise you wouldn’t have given him anything. It’s pretty clear you’ve never liked him much. What did you say to him anyway?”
“I gave him enough to feed his family for a week and I told him not to come back. He knows that what I gave him was the last he can expect from me. I also told him to leave – perhaps join forces with some of his other family members somewhere. But I made it clear, he can’t count on us for more help. I think he got the message.”
Lucas was quiet, watching the exchange between the rest of the group. Steven said, “Lucas, you’re here with us and we consider you part of the family. What’s your take on all this?”
“I just wish this had never happened. No society should ever have to be faced with problems like this. I’m like Claire and Frances. I can’t imagine watching two small children dying of starvation while we’re sitting here eating.”
Steven squirmed in his chair as he considered what each of them had said. He glanced at Jenny, already knowing that she agreed with his approach. But now it’s real and it’s not so easy when life slaps you in the face like this. This was no trivial matter and despite what they had said they would do during their many hours of planning, facing the situation in real life required real answers, not speculation. He thought of the best way to respond, knowing his view would not be what everyone wanted to hear.
“Like all of you, I can’t stand the thought of watching small children starving to death, but we have to ask ourselves, how is it different than before this all happened? We all knew there were children starving to death all over the world, and while we tried to help in our own little ways, we never considered giving our last dollar or last item of food to solve that problem, did we? So is this only a problem for us because we can witness starvation first hand? How is that different? We all knew that if we gave everything we had away, we wouldn’t make even the slightest dent in the overall problem of world hunger. And even if we did, it would be the last help we could ever offer before we starved ourselves.
And then there’s the matter of nature. We’re all programmed to help and protect those we love. At some point, if we continually share our resources, we will run out. As a father, that goes against everything I’m wired to do. You must know that there is nothing I wouldn’t do to keep my family alive and healthy – even if it means watching someone else starve. I hope you can understand that. If it ever comes down to a choice between you and someone else, the choice is simple for me. And that’s the way I’m looking at this food situation. I can offer charity as long as I believe I can still feed my family, but once I see that is no longer possible, my charity stops.
I’m reasonably certain this is going to get worse and it may last for a very long time. Finally, you should understand that I’m not alone with my inherent instinct to provide for my family. Everyone is like that. So, there will be many looking to feed their families very soon. And when they realize their government won’t be able to provide what they need, they, like me, will be willing to do anything. That means we can expect more violence, and not just from common criminals. People who were otherwise law abiding citizens will be trying anything to feed their families, including killing and stealing.
We not only need to prepare ourselves for telling people no when they ask for food, but we also must be willing to defend ourselves and our property. That means, at some point, each of us has to be prepared to take another life.”
Claire and Frances sat there, dumbfounded, knowing that once again, their father was using logic to make his argument and were now convinced that he was right. No amount of emotional appeal was as powerful as his well thought out response to this moral dilemma. On the other hand, logic had never ruled the paths of human existence.
“I’m not sure I want to live in a world like that Dad,” said Claire. “Is it even worth it?”