Begging offers better way of earning a living<\/p>\n
By Myra Sidharta<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): An American friend once remarked on a visit to
\nIndonesia: \"You Indonesians must be good people. That's why there
\nare so many beggars around. And not only that, they look well-fed
\nand some are not even handicapped.\"<\/p>\n
I liked this remark very much, because it is true that we are
\na friendly people. Everywhere you look you see smiles and people
\nare ready to help you.<\/p>\n
We are generous to the poor and even to the beggars who flock
\nto big cities to earn some money, especially now, during the
\nfasting month of Ramadhan, when the spirit of philanthropy is at
\nits height.<\/p>\n
But then he added: \"Maybe it would be better for them if
\npeople were not so generous. It would teach them to work for
\ntheir food and that they should not be parasites on the rich ...\"<\/p>\n
Well, who are we to feel we can teach other people? Do we have
\nthe right to teach a beggar, just because he may be poor and we
\nare richer? Let us first discuss why people give, other giving
\nalms in the fasting month.<\/p>\n
The answer is we often do it for reward. \"More give, plenty
\ncome,\" is my friend Bob's favorite adage. He always gives
\ngenerously and he is a successful businessman.<\/p>\n
Another motivation for giving is for penitence. It feels good
\nto help people after you have done something wrong.<\/p>\n
But why do people become beggars? Not only because they are
\npoor, but also because that is the way of life they have adopted.
\nTo work means you have to go to a certain place every day and
\nhave to dress appropriately. For that, you have to spend money.
\nAnother thing is the discipline. Why do you have to obey other
\npeople's wishes? It is worse when you get a job as a domestic
\nservant.<\/p>\n
In the first place, you work under somebody who pays you for
\nyour services. But the housewife may feel she has the right to
\nscold, or even hit you or throw a pail of hot water over you. Or
\neven worse, the man in the house may want to rape you.<\/p>\n
From that point of view, a beggars life offers a lot of
\nfreedom. They don't have to wear uniforms, they have no strict
\nworking hours, they do not have to follow orders, but do they
\nhave rules and ethics.<\/p>\n
One rule is that they have their own territory and should not
\nenter other people's. Another is that they should not threaten
\npeople into giving alms.<\/p>\n
There are no restrictions about who can beg. And there are
\neven agencies that rent out children so all the women who rent
\nthem have to do is carry the child and sometimes \"breast feed\"
\nit.<\/p>\n
That begging is a lucrative business is demonstrated by \"the
\none-armed bandit\". Well, he is not a bandit, but one of his arms
\nhas been amputated giving him a reason to join the beggars,
\nalthough he looks robust. One day, I snapped at him: \"You don't
\nhave to beg, you should be working.\"<\/p>\n
From that day on, he has avoided me but is still begging. And
\none day I discovered why.<\/p>\n
I was sitting at one of the many branches of McDonald's when I
\nsaw him enter. He was smartly dressed and looked clean. I
\nwondered whether he had \"reformed\" and got a job and was now
\nbuying food for his boss, when I saw him sit down and eat a
\ncheeseburger with the same gusto as a laborer after a hard day's
\nwork.<\/p>\n
The next day, he was at his \"job\" again. This time I decided
\nto give him money because I could now appreciate him more as a
\nhuman being who wanted to keep up with the progress in his
\ncountry.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/begging-offers-better-way-of-earning-a-living-1447893297",
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