Saturday, October 5, 2013

Can i encourage begging? or will it casue a social meltdown?

                                           

Maybe  we  should  wait  for  the  aliens  from  mars  to  rehabilitate  them  or  maybe  we  should  let  them  starve  till  some  vulture  devours  them?

Every  time  I  give  a burger  or  a  samosa  or  a  10  rupee  to  a  beggar   someone  or  other  demands  to  know , “Why  are  you  encouraging  begging?” and  thus  quiet  often  I  am  lectured  on  the many  ills  of  begging  and  how  it  screws  up  our  social  code.
And  the most  common  argument  to support  this  is, “They  are   healthy  enough  to  work, why  can’t  they  do  some  job?”
The  unemployment  rates  in  this  world  in  some  places  is  as  high  as  70%  and  the  lowest  is  10%. …every  single  country  from  the  developed  nations  to  the  underdeveloped  fall  in  between  these  stats.
Now, whatever  the  stats  someone  or  other  is  supporting  this  unemployed  crowd   while  they  struggle  to  look  out  for  a  job: let  it  be  parents, sibling, friends, banks,  NGO’s…or   government. ….in  general  society. And  many  of  these  job  hunting  crowds   are  the  ones  who  are  educated,  or  at  least  literate,  or  have  some  technical  education or  some  or  the  other  ability. ….and  yet,  they  need  help….financial,  social,  emotional,  intellectual  help…   till  they  get  their  first  pay.
And  how  many  of  us  are  unemployed?  How  many  of  us  have  suffered  unemployment  at  some  point  of  time? ask  yourself  if  there  was  no  one  to  support    you  what  would   you   have  done?  
Now,  when  you  and  I  find  it  so  difficult  to  get  jobs  how   is  the  poorest  of  the  poor,  uneducated,  half  naked  and  a  hungry  person    supposed  to  get  a   job?  Yes,  there  are  jobs of  laborers  and  such  but  how  many  of  the  population  is  fighting  for  it?
So  I wish  to   ask ,  when  you  and  I  need  support  when  we  don’t  have  money  in  our  pockets ….is    supporting  the  poor  with  a  meal  such  a huge  matter  that  it  would  cause  society  to  have  a   meltdown?

I  agree, today in  most  sectors  begging  is  organized….so  there  got  to  be  a  rich  man  as  their  boss  and   etc…so  every  time  you   encourage  begging  you  encourage  the  rich  man. Right? I  am  not  going  to  go  into  the  details  of  what  will  happen  to  a  lonely  beggar  on  the  street   who  does  not  have  the  support  of   a   begging  syndicate…but  briefly: how  and  why  did  begging  become  an  organized  thing? It’s  not  just  for  making  money  but   safety. Just  like  you  and  me  don’t  feel  safe  amongst  certain  groups  of  people  or  places…hungry, half  naked , malnourished   people  almost  always  suffering  the  abuse,  derision  and  disgust   of   general  society….the  ones  we  call  beggars  don’t  feels  safe  amongst  the  general  population  and   the  law. Yes, today, many  and  not  all  syndicates  have  gone  from  bad  to  worse...but  then  they  are  just   a  part  of  the  society  that  is  leading  the  way...but  that's  a  different  story. 
Let’s  get  on  with  the  topic  at  hand: There  are  many   social  ills  right  from  corruption  to  prostitution  to  ….and   all  of   them  are  interconnected…..not  just  with  each  other  and  the  lethargy  of  the  government  but  mostly  they  are  interconnected  to  our  lack  of  humanity.
They  need  to  be  rehabilitated  and  not  by  aliens  from  Mars  but  by  us…you  and  me….and  till  then… till  you  find  the  time,  money and  heart  to  work  on  that….  it  is  not  going  to  kill  you  if  your  share  your  meal  with  a hungry  child,  women  or  a man… and  it  will  only  be  human  if  you  can  do  that  without  asking  “Why  don’t  you  get  a  job?”
Please,  remember  just  like  someone  supported  you  while  you  looked  for  that  first  job  and  until  you   got  your  first  pay….others  need  support  too…it  is  a  collective  social  responsibility…it  is  about  humanity. 
And,  nobody  begs  just  for  fun.
The population  that  walks  the  streets  begging  is  one  of  the  most  neglected  parts  of  society…and  as  long  as  there  are  neglected  parts  amongst  us,  society  as  a  whole   will  never  progress…..just   like   a   family  that  has  even  as  single  member  left  out  feels  the  pinch,  we  will  too.....
So,  should  we  wait  for  aliens  from  mars  or  maybe  let  them  starve  till  some  vulture  devours  them  alive? 

7 comments:

  1. Hello! Very touching and compelling post my friend. I completely agree. I believe the world in general has been desensitized and seriously lacking empathy. <3

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    1. thanks for reading. maybe someday the world will change for the better.

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  2. Yes, a heartfelt post,BV, I would suggest letting those who complain spend even an hour (I would say in their shoes, but most beggars don't have shoes) living as the 'have-nots' do and then it would be interesting to see if their outlook changes. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

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  3. Whatever we do, we want it to be empowering and sustainable. In India, we don't encourage (please know that we don't discourage or stop people) giving money to beggar because certain communities see begging as a lucrative job/occupation and we want to stop that. For rehabilitation, the Delhi govt. opened institution for street children and homeless which accept donation of every kind and amount.

    Suppose you give rs.10 to a beggar, s/he would buy an eatable for that amount and the money is gone. In that way, the money you gave to the beggar is a charity! But if you give that rs.10 to the institution, they will utilized it for the education, skill development, food and lodging of the child, In that way, the amount you donate (rs.10) is empowering and sustainable!

    However, most street children don't want to go to those institution and understandably so because the workers in such institution lacks the sensitivity and understanding required to deal with the children, and more so, most street children prefer to roam the road, and have full control over their life.

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  4. thanks and rightly pointed out. Hope there are more social workers in the field...and not just the ones who want to make money out of starting an NGO!

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  5. Now I have to agree with Lyan Smate here for speaking my mind partially! While helping poor people is a noble act and is definitely encouraged, what guarantees that it will support them lifelong. There is a proverb in Chinese that says give a man a fish a day and you will feed him a day, teach him how to fish and you will feed him forever. Now, the main reason behind this scenario is because people get job not based on what they know, but 'who' they know. Things like this have to change. Some people beg because they just don't know any other way while some do it because it is easier to beg. May be while we feed them a meal, we can also find out if there is any organisation to help them show ways to earn money or employ them to do handicrafts and things like that

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    1. Exactly, till they can be rehabilitated society will have to take care of them. Yes, even police helps us in actually detaining them in some areas and putting them in an orphanage but all these NGO's are sometimes stretched too much to have them. there is an orphanage in Mumbai, I can't name it,.. but in a 1000 sq feet area they have 30 children! society has do it's job but till then..which is what I am stressing here in this post we can't let them starve. Well, there are many people who do not like to share a meal or buy some for beggars (I have many friends who fall in this category who neither give a penny nor help in rehabilitation) but my point is we should not stop others from having a little compassion. Right?

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