Grumpy Accordian Player

Yesterday on the way in to Eastman Theater, we were greeted by a large gentleman dressed in a ragged hoodie and sporting an accordion, seated on the stoop by the front doors. His case was open and he kept up a constant barrage of verbiage aimed at passersby, in particular, the theater goers.

"Come on, now. Not even a dollar for an old man? Where is your Christmas spirit? You can afford to go to the theater but not to help out a poor musician? Not even a dollar? Not even a quarter? What is wrong with you?"

The commentary sounded angry and unending. Not once did I hear this gentleman play a song. He sponged a chord here and a blat there, but no real song. I wanted to tell him that he would catch more cash if he actually played and was any good. Or at least if he said nice things. There is that adage about catching more flies with honey than vinegar.

Instead, I just walked past him without making eye contact, my ears burning under his condemnation, my ire rising in determination not to be emotionally black mailed into supporting God only knows whom. And that is what brought me up short. Was this man not a child of God, no matter how bleak his situation or how black his character?

Still, I gave the man no more thought while I introduced my guests to the production. It was already a sacrifice on my part to purchase these tickets. Now to be asked to give a generous handout to some unknown person felt too heavy a burden.

He was still there as we headed back to our car, still harassing the crowd with his sarcastic remarks. I hurried past, hearing one woman tell another to wait because their friend got "caught" by the old man's pleas for help. Their tone of voice indicated their disapproval of her weakness in giving cash to the accordion player.

I heard the words tumble around in my brain. How do I know he won't just spend it on drugs and liquor? What right does he have to make others feel bad? Where are the police? If he is really hungry, why doesn't he go to the Open Door Mission? He can get a meal and a bed there. Get out of the snow and the cold. Where did he get that accordion? Does it even work? Does he really know how to play it? Isn't this just a scam? What did he really want the money for? Why didn't he just get a job like normal people? We work hard for our money. Why should we give it to someone who refuses to work?

All the Scrooging ugly words of our culture poured in and out of my thoughts. When I worked at Eastman, we were given coupons for a free meal at the Open Door Mission to hand out to anyone panhandling. I never had to use mine, but I do remember one beggar berating summer lunch eaters about how it was our fault he was in the situation he was in. If we would just help him out, he wouldn't have to beg. A mounted policeman took him away quickly.

So what would it have hurt if I had given the cranky accordion player a dollar? If he misused it, God would hold him accountable, right? After all, who's responsibility is it to help those who are down and out? Isn't he my neighbor? Shouldn't I be concerned at his distress? If the churches were reaching out to the homeless, would I even have encountered this man? Isn't the money I have provided by God's grace anyway? It could be me down there begging for help.

I will admit, I went back to see if the old man was there during other performances, but I didn't see him. I wanted to talk to him, see why he was there and whether I could connect him to someplace that could help him. Maybe the police removed him. Maybe he just gave up because no one was willing to drop money in his case. Or maybe he was an angel just testing the goodwill of the community. I will never know.

And I still haven't resolved my response to these sorts of encounters. I am more likely though to do what I believe is right and be generous, leaving the results to God's grace. If it's a scam it will be found out. Meanwhile, I make sure I am helping the reputable organizations as often as I can. Perhaps my extra change in the Salvation Army buckets and my dollar donations to the food bank through Wegmans this year is a direct response to the grumpy accordion player. Perhaps.