THE UGLY TRUTH ABOUT BEGGARS

Did you know there are people in this world who borrow money as a means of survival? I’m not talking about homeless beggars or those who view credit card debt as a source of income, either. I mean everyday people.

Amounts are relative, of course. Some people borrow large sums while others subsist on tiny amounts sprinkled throughout the month.

Somehow these people are always able to find someone willing to loan or give them cash when they need it. This often takes place even when the person doing the loaning doesn’t have it to spare. There are no statistics on this, of course, but I’d venture to guess less than 50% of those who loan the cash will ever see it again. But I’ll also bet 80% or higher will loan that person money at least once more.


So what’s the deal? What do these begging bastards have and how can we get some cross coronation going so we can get our piece of the handout pie? Your guess is as a good as mine…well, no. My guesses are always better than yours but I was trying to be nice.

You might be wondering why I bring up such an odd topic. It’s very simple: It’s just another symptom of the unfairness that seems to keep the universe going. I hate to liken the beggars to cockroaches, but their finely honed survival instincts and ability to overcome all obstacles thrown at them makes the comparison unavoidable. To add insult to put-down, there doesn’t seem to be any element of balance to the situation

In other words, if you’re not one of them, you will never be able to do what they do. Right now you’re probably wondering why anyone would want to do what they do. It depends. If the goal is to survive by borrowing money you’ll most likely never pay back, you want to be leech and are beneath contempt and just right for the Jerry Springer Show. However, if the concern is more along the lines of, “When is somebody gonna help me out when I need it most?” you’re on the right track.

I’ll be honest with you, when it came to money I was a born sucker throughout my twenties and only stopped being one because practicality overcame stupidity. Basically, I wound up broke and nobody who took advantage of my surplus was there to help through the recession.

I’m a rare type of person, though. I don’t give money with the intent of reclaiming it at a later date. I’m not a miser. I know I come across as some kind of cavalier, disinterested deity, but I too have my soft side. When I love someone, for instance, I do what I can to make his or her lives more bearable. I don’t expect them to return the favor, but I do hope they will.

They haven’t always. I’m sure you can relate. Therein, I suspect, lies the problem at the heart of it all. I have a conscience. Like all of you, I tried for many years to rid myself of this hindrance and devote my life to the pursuit of my own pleasures heedless of the consequences to others. Sadly, without an undeserved sense of entitlement, this cannot be done. So I failed.

For someone to actually survive on borrowing or taking money from others, that person can’t have much of a conscience. To place one’s own desires or needs above those of others requires a childlike mentality indicating a lack of emotional development. This is even truer when we consider the financial situations of many of the people being hit up for money on a regular basis.

What I’ve been trying to explain to a certain someone who can’t understand why “evil people” seem to do ok in life while the rest of us suffer is that these people are supported by others. They’re manipulative, cunning and devious. They are the perfect matches for the world in which we live and they harness their natural abilities to ensure their own survival. We as the rationalizing, feeling counter-parts, are little more than a resource to them. Sometimes we get angry and attack the beggars but so many of us don’t that it makes little difference.

Besides, the argument could be made that anyone who resorts to violence against a beggar is a beggar himself; he just doesn’t know it.

When the time comes and I need something, anything, it is rarely available. Forget about money. I am fortunate enough to have friends similar to me when it comes to doing for others, so there are a few people I can still count on. But I feel like shit asking them. If I were one of the beggars, I’d exploit them for all they’re worth. Yes, this has happened to them too.

I cannot beg to survive. It’s not in my DNA. But I’m not going to allow myself to be the victim of those who can anymore~