I regularly run into a confused man at the Amstel station in Amsterdam. His leg in a cast, his hand holds up pleadingly. With a story that he needs money for the taxi to the hospital, he accosts passers-by. The OLVG is nearby, so no one will fall for it.
Recently my mother (75) ran into him. She is always generous and sees the good in everyone, but lets him know that she has already given her money away to the previous beggar. She looks at him compassionately and says, “But I can give you the blessing.” The man lets her go, and habitually stammers: “Thank you, thank you.”
A version of this article also appeared in
NRC in the morning of January 27, 2022
