Hardening my heart against charity

Charity cold-callers are sometimes trained to tug on one's heartstrings or, perhaps more commonly, to steer the conversation such that it is by far more comfortable socially to donate. I do not want to encourage interrupting manipulators by making their visit worthwhile. I try to keep well enough abreast of matters to be aware of how and to whom I might most beneficially donate and I am quite able to seek them out myself without an external efficient cause. Being of limited means I must needs refuse many solicitations.

I now realize that the effect that these charity workers have in my world is to teach me to more easily be heartless. I have learned that if I openly agree to offered propositions such as that I do not want to help disabled children then their script falters and we sooner stop wasting each other's precious time. It is as effective as pretending to try to introduce unwanted Jehovah's Witnesses to Scientology. As we learn from the Tweedledum episode of Colditz (1972) one should beware one's own method acting.

Fortunately, the callers lately who actually go to door-to-door have been more matter-of-fact and ready to move on, they just need interrupting or they go on for a while. I may in due course donate but I am unlikely to choose them on the doorstep without more research and consideration. An interestingly common facet of those around here is that an early component of the script involves assurance that the money is spent on local people.