Thursday, March 19, 2015

The Business of Begging

BEGGING is fast becoming an epidemic. Quite recently, I was begged many times in one day and it got me thinking about what's really happening within our society. Are things really that bad? I'm sure that we have varying opinions.

Images of countless incidences of begging throughout my lifetime in various countries flooded my head. Some categories of beggars stood out.

  • The sympathetic beggar - always with a hard luck story. His / her situation can be a real tear jerker. They can really pull at the emotional strings like the most skilfull of puppeteers. 
  • The brand name beggar - met this one overseas. I noticed that he was dressed better than I was in terms of clothing - no mixed brands (E.g. Nike etc.) Everything was uniform throughout. They speak really well. 
  • The classic beggar - cigarette in the corner of the mouth and drink in hand. 
  • The vagrant beggar - those with whom we are most familiar. Homeless seeking their next meal. 
  • The list can go on. 
I've heard stories of beggars lending people money in some significant sums to purchase cars and homes. So now that I've been enlightened that begging's a business, it opens a whole new dimension for me. 

Effective immediately, people begging me would need to provide the following:
  1. A proposal outlining why they're begging and how the money that they beg for will be utilized. 
  2. A proforma invoice, which shows the amount for which they're begging
  3. A tax clearance certificate so that I can see they're contributing their share of taxes. 
Personally I don't believe that I'm being overly harsh since in many instances they have more money than I do. Daily I have to hustle and even though earning my keep am not always paid for it; especially in these current times. Yet, I can't play dead and give up, but must try to find replacement money which does not involve begging. 

While growing up in the era that I did; we were taught not to beg and the consequences that will follow if we disobeyed. Yet nowadays, lots of people including those gainfully employed are doing it quite unashamedly. 

There, I have gotten my thoughts off my chest without resulting in bad behaviour. Stop begging for if there are any vacancies and start asking for work. There are still ways that you can earn an honest dollar. 



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