A few years later, I found out a single father in the building was behind on rent.
I paid it anonymously.
Not because I owed anyone.
Because someone had once shown me grace when I needed it.
When my landlord retired, a group of tenants threw him a party.
Someone asked him whether he regretted all the people who had taken advantage of his rule.
He laughed.
"Of course some people took advantage."
"That's the price of trusting people."
Then he said something that split the room.
"I'd rather be fooled by a few selfish people than become the kind of person who refuses to help everyone."
To this day, the tenants who lived in that building still argue about his rule.
Some believe generosity without conditions only encourages bad behavior.
Others believe that grace only means something when it's given without first deciding who deserves it.
I still don't know which side is right.
Juneteenth got Haitians in a real dilemma this year…
🇭🇹 Haiti vs 🇧🇷 Brazil.
We’ve spent our whole lives yelling “VAMOS BRASIL!” and now they’re lining up against the homeland. 😭