9 Aug 2004
Dont you walk away!!
A very old woman, bent with years, wearing a shabby piece of garment over her head that of a scarlet hue (her only shield in the driving rain) and a washed out jade colored tattered sari, a cane in her hand and broken eye glasses- she was indeed an unfortunate sight!
I was with a friend eating corn delighting in the rain when she caught my attention, but in point of fact it was not she that had my focus, it were the passers by!
This lady, almost 90 could barely walk and was begging even as no less than 15 -20 people had passed by without even noticing her! Not that it was surprising; I would probably have ignored her myself, with the rain pouring down and a home to go to, and not to forget the so many 'homeless persons' at every cross, she wasn't for sure the cynosure of all eyes! So much for our busy self-absorbed lives!
The so many posts on the same issue have been so heartrending, and each time we are reminded to do a bit for our fellow lesser beings
Current Mood: Thoughtful
Current Music: Dont u walk away....
Comments (10) Trackbacks (0) Permalink
By Portuguese Man-Of-War
9 Aug 2004, 6:00pm [ Reply ]
Whenever I encounter beggars, I usually manage to get into quandaries. This is a list:
1. What do you do when you encounter the same person at a signal or some other place that you frequent regularly? Should you conclude that you've donated earlier and therefore will not? If instead you donate everytime, will you be obligated to do that each time for all time, since now everytime you come that way he expects something, and therefore now you'll be kind of disappointing him more if you don't than if he weren't expecting something like with others?
2. What do you do about kids who're begging?
3. If you see a 50+ frail woman begging, and know a similar woman who works for her living by washing dishes and clothes in your apartment, then should you refuse to donate, or should you decide that all 50+ women deserve a better deal at that stage in their lives and therefore donate?
4. If you can buy a Mercedes for Rs. 30 lacs or donate the money, what should you do? Nobody, but nobody, in the world needs a Mercedes. Or an Opel. Or an Esteem. People have this stupid notion that just since they earned money, it's theirs. When so many are starving. Sheesh. I mean, when you have Rs. 30 lacs with you, and you have a choice between feeding 10,000 starving souls and buying yourself a car, you've chosen the latter. I don't even want to hear the other side of this story.
5. What do you do if you know that a beggar will spend the money you give him on betel? I think I'm no one to dictate what he should do. I may think he should have a meal, but he gets more pleasure from betel.
6. Should we feel that all people who pass by a beggar without any action are selfish? I don't think so. Once I've finished off my quota for a month and have no money left for charity, people would see me walking past a beggar, too.
7. What should I do when there is a huge clutch of beggers at a place and I don't have enough to give all of them? It's a pain, since all of them vociferously appeal to you. And if you donate selectively based on their physical condition, the rejected ones get very vocal.
8. Is it best to give off to an NGO and forget about it, or should you actually try and help people yourself? An individual beggar you've seen on the road needs money for himself, and you care about whether you did your charity for the month. Suppose I were a beggar, and a man walked past me since he's finished off his donation through an NGO. Do I care?
By dawn
9 Aug 2004, 9:01pm [ Reply ]
hmmm.....
thats something everyone should read....
why don't u post the same... that way many will read this???
n trust me,these are the same things that cross my mind....
u shud think about posting this dude...really!
By rainmaker
9 Aug 2004, 10:19pm [ Reply ]
btw.. what did u do, dawn? walked by the old lady or gave her money?
By JLU
9 Aug 2004, 10:47pm [ Reply ]
Good points, PMOW. I personally am against begging and do not encourage it. If begging were to be widely encouraged, it would become a very viable money-making proposition, and we may see a lot more people turning to it. Poverty needs to be addressed in other ways, not by doling out money to whoever asks for it, coz there's no sure-shot way to determine if your hard-earned money is reaching the right hands and serving its intended purpose.
By dawn
9 Aug 2004, 11:04pm [ Reply ]
honestly...
i was drowned in debating my predicament wid a friend....
and watched her walk away into some shelter....
the least that i cud have done..i did not do...thats the worst part :(
By dawn
9 Aug 2004, 11:14pm [ Reply ]
u know.... this has forever been a remonstrance...to lend a helping hand to someone in need specially a beggar or not!
As much as it is true that we donot know where our hard earned money goes as JLU aptly put...i still think we have a heart that goes out when we see people less fortunate!
thats what humanity is all about...
its not a hard and fast rule that we should help them...but it aint either that we shudnt....
By JLU
10 Aug 2004, 12:06am [ Reply ]
Hi dawn, there are lots and lots of 'less fortunate' people. Some beg and others don't. Instead they take the harder route, labor for a pittance, get exploited, struggle through their difficulties and so on. You humanity induced kindness may benefit the former, who for all you know, maybe experts at gaining your sympathy (by creating a visual impact targetted at a soft-heart like yours) and making a quick buck, while the latter maybe the real miserable ones. Is your buck reaching the really deserving person?
By rainmaker
10 Aug 2004, 12:22am [ Reply ]
i read an article in a newspaper about how some of the beggars of HYD even own *land*. thats because of organized begging etc... but of course, the majority of the beggars out there are genuine.
i dont think the common man can take it up to himself to 'donate and eradicate poverty'. beggars will continue to beg as they have no other source of livelihood (and half of them are too old or disabled, so they cant work either).
the govt taxes the working classes, sets aside portions of it for upliftment of society, announces packages for the poor... yet the situation doesnt improve due to corruption and inadequacy of funds.
this problem can probably be solved if both govt machinery & large scale public awareness go hand in hand. maybe something like the CRY! and HelpAge India campaigns?
By dawn
10 Aug 2004, 9:01am [ Reply ]
JLU... its true that i will never know if the money i give will ever reach those really in need of it... i've always skepticized bout this issue, neverthless in the case of this old woman, i think i should have done whatever i could!
Rainmaker..... i completely side with you that no matter what we do, beggars continue to beg! yes ..perhaps the whole outcome can change if govt machinery and large scale public awareness go hand in hand like u so rightly put...
By SUNill
17 Aug 2004, 7:59am [ Reply ]
Always comforting to be educated to the fact that there are persons like youself to contemplate social upliftment of the downtrodden