Dear LiS,

The answer is all within you, as they say, so you can decide to stop reading my babble right now or keep going if spirit beckons you so :-)

As I was reading your experience in Ethiopia, a question was nagging in my innards: What if LiS was an Ethiopian who made it good and now living in Europe comfortably and visiting Ethiopia. What would she have done?

Another deeper rumbling question arose just behind that as another layer of this cosmic onion that our mind and perception is: What if LiS was once many many years ago, long time ago, decades or even longer earlier someone who was born and raised in Ethiopia and revisiting the country just with vague or feeble soul memories ...

The skein can get quite complex and some religions and cultures have gotten rid of such complexity by denying reincarnation and at the same time taking the life-breath out of psychic perception, in a sense, if you catch my drift!

What do I personally believe or opine (as if you care what I think!), there are no final answers and there are no last opportunities really, to help that little Ethiopian girl. If you are not comfortable at this time, acting this way or deciding that way, give yourself the solace that there will be many other opportunities, even if the country may be different or it may be a different little girl or little boy or perhaps an old man...!

Meanwhile, if it bothers you a lot, look around right where you currently live. There must be a tiny soul who needs the same love or support. Help him or her and in some cosmic and connected way you would have helped the soul that came up to you as the little ethiopian girl.

Not sure if this helps, but the intention to do so was there, sincerely!

Rohiniranjan


[quote="lostinspace"]Hi folks! I'm wrestling with a problem right now, and I really would appreciate some thoughts from y'all....well here goes, I went to Ethiopia on holiday (combined it with a conference my husband had to attend, otherwise I'd never have dreamed of going there!) Utterly beautiful land, but most of the people are dirt poor. The people are lovely, but unfortunately the instant they see a foreigner, they see a walking bank, and so many encounters started off promising and ended up being some sort of way to wring money from you, and some got really quite unpleasant. Being treated as nothing more than a cash opportunity was really sad.

Anyway, while we were exploring a path, I encountered this charming little girl (about 10 or 11) who came to practice her English, though by now I was waiting for the usual money request. She told us a bit of a sob story about how poor she was, but didn't actually ask for any money, though one of her relatives came rushing up to her and demanded that she charge us a whole load of money for acting as our 'guide'. Anyway, we exchanged e-mail addresses, and sure enough, the 2nd e-mail is a request for money, otherwise, according to her, that will be the end of her education, etc etc....

My husband is dead against it. he says we owe her nothing, and her relatives have put her up to demanding money, and it's very clear to him that we simply shouldn't.

But to me, it's as clear as mud. What if she really needs it, and her future goes down the drain because I refused her? Anyway, a monthly wage in Ethiopia is around $40-50 or £20-40. So about £50 would go a long way. But I also feel bad about being "used", though I don't always mind being ripped off. If a person asks me, then I feel they probably need it. Not that I have very much money of my own, I'm generall pretty hard up, though I could afford £50, which is the sum I thought might be ok.

I tried using dowsing to figure it out, and the answer was 'give the money'. However, I've realised the dowseing has been giving me the wrong answers to some things. So now I just need to use some common sense plus a bit of compassion.... :smt017

If you've read all the way to the end of this this.. :)  thanks! So, any thoughts?[/quote]

Hi Rohin, thanks for your reply! Wow! well I'm just not 'developed' enough to be able to think about the question in terms of reincarnation etc! But I guess if I was an Ethiopian living in Europe, I bet I'd be less sympathetic!    I'd probably be wise to the scams that that are pulled to extract money from guilt-ridden westerners.

SIGH...it's a problem, but I figure I'll send her a bit of money, but just try to not become a ripe money-tree for her relatives...I do feel like I'm being taken for a mug, but I'm wary of not responding to a call for help. Yeah they saw this sucker coming up the path  

LIS:  We give from the heart.  And the exercise your heart receives from exercising it, will be more than any monetary loss or gain that can be measured.  Sure, it is possible, you are being used...just consider all relationships in life to be a give and take and that will finalize its pull.  Give in love!

Spiritalk, Hi!
Sure, I'm being used, I can accept that. It wasn't really the loss of money bothering me, more the nature of the relationship that I might be getting into. That's what worries me, particularly since my husband is so against it, and I'll be on my own in this one.
'Give in love' sounds a bit idealistic for me, and I sure didn't love the really creepy guy who came up and ranted at the little girl to charge us for walking with us...No, it's not from love, sadly, just a humanitarian sense of obligation to make a donation.

Dear LiS,

Focus on this: The scam is real but not permanent, kind of like each of us!

RR

[quote="lostinspace"]Hi Rohin, thanks for your reply! Wow! well I'm just not 'developed' enough to be able to think about the question in terms of reincarnation etc! But I guess if I was an Ethiopian living in Europe, I bet I'd be less sympathetic!  :smt013  I'd probably be wise to the scams that that are pulled to extract money from guilt-ridden westerners.

SIGH...it's a problem, but I figure I'll send her a bit of money, but just try to not become a ripe money-tree for her relatives...I do feel like I'm being taken for a mug, but I'm wary of not responding to a call for help. Yeah they saw this sucker coming up the path  :smt020[/quote]