Compassion's cost

As I was driving to Chipotle to get some food, I started musing about downsizing both in companies and in government. A simple way of putting the debate is:

"Compassion costs money". Helping people takes time & effort and, in effect, money. Welfare helps people who don't have a job. Drugs aren't legal because we don't want people to fry their brains.

People who are against "big government" are really saying: "We want to spend less on compassion." But I think every time you don't help someone you become a little less human.

With this thought in my head, I went into Chipotle. The cashier (who I think is asst. manager as well) was talking to the person just ahead of me and said: "You know, I'm always right. It's a burden really", half tongue-in-cheek.

When I got to the front of the line, I told him about Cassandra of Ancient Troy. She was friendly with the god Apollo who gave her the gift of foresight. But they quarreled and she left him. Since Apollo couldn't take back the gift (once the gods gave something, they couldn't take it away), he made it so no one believed her.

The asst. manager said: "Yes! Yes! That must be where I got it from! And for that" and he handed me back my money and zeroed out my order. Then he said: "You've restored my faith in humanity." Which made me feel really good.

So I guess some types of compassion cost money and some don't. And either can return big dividends when you least expect them.