Generosity to Strangers

    While hitchhiking, I received a ride from a man driving a Mercedes. He asked me for money in return for a ride. It happened in South Africa.
    While in Zimbabwe—the adjoining country—I asked a passerby for directions to a train station. He asked me for cash in return for assistance.
    Why were they clamoring for my money? Was it because I am white? Not necessarily. Someone there told me, “In Africa, you must pay for everything.”
     Last October, I went for a day hike on The Appalachian Trail in Massachusetts. I came across a cooler (seen in photo). It contained water and candies. Local people had placed it there for hikers. Many streams were dry on the trail, hence a need for water.
    A hiker left a note to the donor. It read, ’Thanks for the water. I was getting worried for a while there.’
    Why do people in some places ask for a traveler’s money, while in other places they exhibit generosity? I am happy to live in a society where generosity to strangers is practiced.