There's no money to pay the bills stemming from job loss, salary cut /delay in payment, business crunch / crash. What do you do in such situations? It's either of these alternatives :
1. Sit down and cry till your eyes threaten to pop out of their sockets
2. Think about the burden and ask God, why me lord?
3. Brood over the problem and indulge in smoking and drinking to get your mind off the problems
4. Think about committing suicide (sadly some tow that line)
5. Think about borrowing money from your friends/relatives
6. Think about begging money from your friends/relatives just to survive
7. Take stock of what went wrong, learn from it and look for ways to move on with your life
Most times people engage in options 1-6, and 7 never crosses their minds ,except when they've received wise counsel from those who'd survived the financial blows at one point or the other. The difference between borrowing and begging lies in the fact that when you borrow money you'll pay back (with or without interest, depending on who's lending the money) while in the case of begging, you're not repaying the money (except you choose to). Most people think that begging is exclusive to those who have become professionals in the art, plying their trade on the streets.
Street begging is carried out by the homeless, helpless, (regardless of age, sex) and the physically challenged. Lately in Nigeria, those who simply want to survive have taken to begging on the streets. Some can't afford to pay their school fees, hospital bills, some fend for themselves without the support from parents (whether dead or alive). Street begging incidentally runs contrary to the laws of Lagos state which banned the act and made it illegal, punishing both the giver and the receiver. It further hampers the Lagos state governor's vision of transforming Lagos into a "Mega city".
It's also a problem that the National Tourism Development Commission insists does not augur well for tourism development in the country. Even at the 2008 Beijing Olympics , China's government was reported to have taken beggars off the street to avoid a national embarrassment / ridicule before the games commenced. It is reported that an average of 65% of beggars flock into Lagos (The city of excellence) and hub of commercial/economic activities in Nigeria, in search of a better life. They take to the streets because they have no one to turn to, but what about those who indirectly ply such begging acts back in various homes?. They fold their arms, sit tight at home and refuse to move on with their lives.
They rather opt to watch TV all day long, drink, smoke, play games with friends, hang around idle. Such delight in living off other people's pockets. A good example is a laid off husband who depends on his wife to survive and is unwilling to do anything to get another job. He asks her, his friends, relatives and others for money until he becomes a nuisance. He begs because he has become complacent.
People also beg because necessity forces them to do so eg a son that needs his tuition to be paid, and his parents are in a financial mess or a case of member of the family in the hospital who needs money for an emergency operation or before he/she can be treated , or to settle hospital bills, or where there's no money to pay the rent, buy food items and other terrible situations. Parents and even children will be forced to beg in such unpleasant situations.
In as much as begging is not good, then what is the government doing to help those on the streets. It's not enough to boot them out, they should create opportunities/platforms for them to make a living. They are after all part of the citizens of the country they swore an oath to make things better for. However, begging should"not be a final option one should forever wallow in". It's a matter of looking deep within, refusing to eat from the dustbin of life, but searching for the right way out, which often times lies ahead of us, but we fail to see. Is it possible for one who begs to have a positive turn around which would launch him into fortune and fame ? oh yes! It's possible, and the power to do just that lies deep within you!
So long…auggiepo@yahoo.com
