This is quite a tough topic to talk about but it can be very helpful when you are in a situation where a beggar tells you their life story and you feel kind of sad for that person. Should I give this person money or what should I do?
People are naturally lazy when it comes to working for something. Not all people are the same! It all depends on how you were raised by your parents or guardians. The people that you surround yourself with will have a great effect on your personality and your purpose in life. When you are surrounded by positive and hard working people, you yourself also tend to be more positive and hardworking. The same is true for when you surround yourself with negative and lazy people, there is a great possibility that you will also be negative and lazy. People are made to adjust to their surroundings and fit in. When you are a beggar chances are that you will not be able to live a better life, so to say, other then begging.
In poor communities the poor tend to stay poor because of what they see around them. Children in those communities see guys standing outside in the streets smoking and drinking and they think that it is normal to do that because most of the people do that. Those children start to feel that school is unimportant because their role models are out on the streets enjoying themselves. The big problem here is that these children don't know the power of education. So they drop out of school and join the guys on the streets where they have to beg for money or worse steal from and rob people for money. In every community, it doesn't matter rich or poor there has to be positive influences on the children. They need to know the importance of education. There needs to be role models that has education so that they can realize that education is the key to the world we are living in now.
So how can you help a beggar?
Giving them money is the easy way out and not the proper way to deal with the situation. Rather ask them a few questions like: "How did you end up being a beggar?" or "How can I help you to get a job?". Probably the most important thing for a person to have is a job with a steady income. If you have a steady income you are most certainly able to buy food every day.
How do beggars get jobs?
Most beggars have dirty clothes and smell because they haven't washed them. So there is also different types of beggars, beggars that have homes and others that don't. Even if a beggar decided to get a job, they still would not be able to get a job. Let's face it, who would hire a dirty and smelly person that doesn't have clean clothes? That beggar would not be allowed to even enter the building. So telling that person to get a job is not going to help their situation.
So what I actually want to do is to start a help-a-beggar organization. Where you can adopt a beggar into your life. This person doesn't have to live in your house or anything like that. You just have to build a personal relationship with that person. Building a relationship with that person will help you to figure out where that person went wrong and how you can help them to get back on the right path. This could take a lot of time but making that person feel important can motivate a better lifestyle and will to change in that person.
Timothy's steps to knowing and helping your beggar:
The first step is to get to know that person, not just the name and where that person came from but also what that person thinks and feels about his circumstances.
The second step is to ask that person what he/she thinks lead them to that point in their life where they have to beg for money and food to survive.
Ask them what they could do to better their circumstances and what they need to better their circumstances. Knowing these two answers and their background, it is up to you to help them set up a goal to achieve a better circumstance.
For example if that person tells you that he needs a job. You might be able to get that person to clean themselves and give them clean clothes before their job interview. You can even give that person food every now and then.
Just remember that money isn't going to solve any problems in this case. You would like that person to be independent and not dependent on you to give them food every day. That person is going to take advantage of the opportunity and their not going to find a better way out.
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