I am asking for both conservative and progressive views.

Tonight I attended a Hawks nba game.

I take the train to/from the arena.

There are always local characters on the train and you never know what will happen. I feel safe 95% of the time.

So, tonight a person was selling wine bottles on the train that they obviously shoplifted.

I always feel bad for the homeless people so I bought their bottle of 12 dollar wine for 5 bucks.

They were very thankful.

At first I felt happy to help them and then I felt like it goes against my beliefs as I'm against shoplifting/lootings.

On the other hand I have always had a lot of empathy for the homeless.

I feel especially strong that homeless should have programs to help them, and I dont mean drug markets.

So I dont know. What would you do? Did I do wrong? (I feel I did wrong, it feels like stealing)

Well, at least you know they're not a "wino".

Mostly kidding lol. I let the moment guide me, Eve. I trust the impulse and do what I'm guided to do.

Regardless of the situation, you're not the bad guy. If you come to the conclusion that it's 'not helping', act accordingly in the future, don't fret a decision that you gripped in the heat of the moment.

Somewhere there's a drug dealer reasoning that if he wasn't sellin', someone else would... This person tonight was selling that wine, if not to you, then someone else, and thus extending whatever situation they were in by a few more hours. The two scenarios? Not even comparable.

Rest easy. Although that's not always easy when an opponent takes the floor and plays way above their pay-grade on your home floor. That should be the only regret from tonight, not anything you did on the train.

I would have given them $5 then say no thanks to the wine.

You’re good. I found myself in similar situations from time to time. I reacted differently in each case.

I think your intentions were good, so no judgment from me.

That being said, my wife is a mental health professional and worked 12 years at a non-profit that dealt with a lot of the homeless and severely mentally ill (often going hand-in-hand). She would be the first to tell you that anytime you give money directly to the homeless, it will almost assuredly go toward something bad. That's just on a statistics basis, not judgment or feelings based. Most metropolitan and suburban areas - and even suburban - have homeless outreach programs, shelters and all kinds of entities that provide living resources to the homeless, so that money is rarely needed for food, shelter, etc. They also set up payee programs, too, where a nonprofit, like my wife's, will receive things like social security, welfare, or whatever, and then pay out the monthly recurring expenses (rent, medication, etc.) and then the person would get any leftover money, so that it wouldn't just all be spent on narcotics and the person ends up evicted without their schizophrenia medication.

She always encouraged people who wanted to be altruistic to donate their money or spare change to the shelters and nonprofits that directly provide services because you know in that case it will go toward helping the homeless.

Hope that helps.

It's not for me to judge you. What I believe you may wish to consider moving forward is after the fact you felt like you did something wrong. It seems as though you feel like you may have contributed to the theft after the fact. And that's the thing about quick decisions we make. In the moment they may seem as though it's okay. But after having time to reflect on them we realize that maybe we should have made a different decision. That's just a part of being human as we all are.

I believe that maybe you could use it as a teaching moment. Moving forward you now know how that decision will make you feel later. You now know that just because you might do it in the moment, later you won't feel good about it. I think at some point that's an experience we all face at some time in my life.

And I'm not trying to say your decision was wrong. I'm saying after the fact you feel like it was wrong. I don't know about you but I don't like that feeling and if something makes me feel that way, in my heart of hearts there was something about it that doesn't quite follow my moral compass.

Thanks for the feedback guys. I appreciate it. <3 I feel better about it today. It's not a big deal I guess, so I won't worry about it. The train is wild sometimes, and I never know how to handle those situations. I especially don't want to offend anyone.

I'm actually a nice person in real life. Believe it or not.

I don't really doubt that. Just busting your chops a little bit.

I don’t by my wine from homeless people on the train… but I don’t drink wine. And even though it is cringeworthy to think about, shoplifting is a fact of life for American businesses and the cost of that continuous ongoing loss is factored into today’s price on the items you buy. Major corporations barely try to stop it these days because the thieves have more rights in a store than the management. I watched two employees talk about a guy blatantly stealing in a Harbor Freight store. They had just had a guy walk out with a $300 sander and told me that they were not allowed to interfere, impede, or even approach anyone stealing. They just have to ignore them. ?????

So, I can hardly blame you for taking advantage of five finger discounted wine when shoplifting is an American malignancy. But I can say EWWWW to the wine.

Damn, I hope you are wrong.....that isn't right. If that gets out ALL Harbor Freight stores will be targeted. Years ago, remember Roy Rogers restaurants- thieves would walk in easily, get what they wanted and walk out-- word spread and company failed.

Jesus told us to feed and cloth our fellow human beings- I never gave money to homeless on corner for decades due to my personal belief they'd use money for drugs and alcohol- or cigarettes. I've changed my mind- I give few dollars and McDonald food credit cards to known homeless and singles on corners-- I'm able and it is their job to do right thing and buy food/ housing- whatever.

I support giving $5 and not taking the wine. Lastly, read a book- Holy Moments----premise- there are holy and unholy moments daily--you make the choice -- chose wisely. Ain't life simple---Not. Peace to all.

WINO!