I just gave money to a homeless person. A slightly larger sum. He's been part of my town for a long time. He used to borrow books from the library regularly. He treated all the books very well. But other library users felt disturbed by him, so he's no longer allowed to use the library. We got talking at some point. A well-read man. Loves the classics. I have shelves full of books. At some point I started lending him books. And sometimes I even give him money. Today a woman said to me: he only buys alcohol anyway. The most she would give him is a coffee or something from the bakery.

What gives us the right to decide that? He's homeless, yes, maybe he buys alcohol with the money. But maybe he also buys dog food for his lovely mongrel dog or his favorite bread or chocolate or toothpaste or plasters. Maybe all of the above. But that's not my decision. I mean, who am I to make such a decision for him?