What happens when we all become beggars
Begging is an act done by people in a bid to receive assistance, usually of the financial nature, in a bid to gain an advantage.
But the thing is this; when does begging exactly cross a line?
Someone told me about a beggar who built a house and married two wives and his only source of income was begging. I stopped to ponder on something and it hit me that some civil servants have actually worked almost all their lives and had to retire back to a rented apartment while someone just had to relax, pretend to be handicapped and make some money.
On the average, a beggar makes more money than some average civil servants in some countries. How did I arrive at such a statement? A beggar comes in contact with a lot of people daily and on the average, they make about $20 daily and this translates to $600 monthly.
Think about it, if someone earns $600 monthly from just sticking a bowl out and such a person earns about 217,500 naira monthly and the worse part is that amount is way above minimum wage in some countries. The questions are these; is that morally right? Are we also morally obligated to take care of their needs ny giving?
It sounds funny but I believe an act of charity should ne given to actual charity homes. An exception to this rule is the elderly or aged people who cannot afford the homes for the elderly and cannot be picked up by charity homes. Such people are the ones who deserves our charity.
Before some people will go all defcon on me and start the name calling, here is what inspired this post...
Today, as I was leaving a particular eatery where I normally stop for a quick bite, I met some children who came to ask for alms. Normally, that would be the part where I would just reach into my pocket and give out the first bill I touch. Today happened to be different, I saw when their mother sent them to meet myself and my friend while she (the mother) sat comfortably in a corner, waiting for them to bring the proceeds.
I was pissed, very pissed! How can a mother be teaching her young ones to beg at a young age, exposing them to the harsh threats of random strangers, unfavorable climes while she was waiting for the proceeds. Usually, I've come across instances where when it's time for feeding, the mother would just eat like a glutton and let the children fight for the scraps while looking emaciated. Poor kids, why bring them to suffer?? What happened to family planning?? But I digress...
I came across a picture some days back of a one legged individual carrying a bag of cement and he was doing it joyfully. He wanted to work for his money. I had to ask myself why we actually support the begging culture.
Imagine a man with one leg being willing to work while some with complete limbs won't want to work, instead, some will pretend to be handicapped just to beg.
It a civil servant discovers this, what is the essence of going to work from 7 am till 5 pm when begging can fetch more? The answer is simple, some people prefer to retain their integrity and that is the best thing. What happens if we all decide to become beggars?
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I remember a day, I went to an eatery to get food, some kids approached me while I was going into the eatery, I had intentions of getting them snacks inside the eatery so I could give it to them when I was leaving , but honestly i forgot about getting the snacks cos I was talking to a friend on a phone , while I was leaving the same kids approched me again, i looked at my hands and I had little cash on me that could take me home, so I had no extra to spare,as I paid with my card inside the eatery,i just shook my head at them and I said next time, but inside me, I felt bad for not getting them the snacks, I was still contemplating if I should go back to the eatery and get them snacks, but to my surprise, this kids started raining insults on me..
"stingy aunty"
"see her yahsh"
"see her tiny legs"
Wowo girl
I felt so bad, honestly I was glad I didn't get that snacks.
After that day I went to the market and I saw a deaf guy selling crayfish, he uses sign language to communicate, I was amazed, I also saw a cripple selling sweets along the road, I stopped and have him some cash to add to his business, I felt good about it, till date, I decided that hence forth I am gonna be selective on the people I render help to.
Some people are just lazy that they take the shortest route out which is begging.
Forget about all these people who wear tattered clothes and parade themselves as beggars, some of them financially stable than the average Nigerian worker
I absolutely agree with you. Looking at this scenario remotely, even being handicapped is not an enough reason to tilt towards begging.
When I went through the video of Nick Vujicic, I concluded that "begging" is actually a choice, and not something that is imposed on people by nature or nurture. This video inspires me a lot.
If he could achieve this with neither arms nor legs, then the vast majority of the beggars we see on the road have no excuse.
Righteous post boss
Begging has become so much a profession that some heartless people actually catch poor kids, forcefully handicapped them and then send them out on begging. That's how bad the society is this days. I have a formula for giving - and that is ' a always follow my heart'.
Many times I've bought a sachet water and paid for the price of a bottle water. Or leave a large change with an Okada. I think I try to help those who are already trying to help themselves. It makes me more happier when they receive more interest than the expected. I'll forever live to promote those who are making efforts to promote themselves.
I upvoted your post.
Mabuhay, keep steeming.
@Filipino
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@ehiboss your title reeled me in like a fish out of water secondly you make a lot of valid points in your post.Like you i am pissed off at people who expose children to this kind of lifestyle,i believe there should be a provision in the law to prosecute this kind of people and also to put children like this into the system.As for giving of alms to beggars well i stopped that a long time ago after i saw a beggar make change out of the fat wads of cash for somebody since then that image always presents itself to me whenever emotion wants to prevail over logic.So whenever i am approached by children in the park particularly the ones with restaurants i make it a point not to give them money no matter how cute they may look but rather buy food they consume right in front of me hopefully with those who sent them looking on.
Some people just derive joy in begging, they have become so addicted to it instead of finding a better way to earn money
It's a pathetic situation with the beggars in this country. I just rely on my instincts when dealing with them...if i feel moved to give them, I do...If i dont, I don't. Asides the road side beggars sef, what about our corporate beggars na? Even on Steemit, we have people who go round begging for upvotes because they aren't ready to put in the work or pay their dues by making friends and working consistently on the platform...Begging is everywhere and in different forms jare