To give or not to give

I had this harrowing experience once when I was on a local train. This really old woman was begging and no one including myself gave her anything as if it was some show of unity. Suddenly she went into a fit of anger and started to cry profusely. While many were thinking that this may be a part of an elaborate routine, I had a change of heart and went over to her to give her a 10 Rs note. To my utter shock, she took the money and threw it away in frustration. I was pained and ashamed.

The act of begging has evolved over time. From the ancient times when sadhus used to beg alms going from door to door to the more recent, more dynamic animated forms of singing songs,  cleaning your car, shoes, dancing and more . The transformation may be attributed to the sadistic side of human nature as well as innovate or else die for those who beg.

Each and every day we find ourselves in the peculiar and rather uncomfortable situation when we find someone begging. We try to ignore, look away, ignore and think – why should we give to that child, woman, old man. For most of us it’s a whimsical decision based on our mood, weather conditions, which side of the bed we got up from. Some of us though give because we think that it would somehow result in some positive karma leading to the day being a favorable one. Altruism is especially at its peak when people are on tours of holy places, taking large quantities of change and distributing it amongst the poor and needy for it would absolve them of their sins.

But the rabbit hole goes even deeper. There are questions of morality, values and ethics associated as well. Begging is looked down upon as a menacing act where it is assumed that those who beg do so because they don’t want to work. To give would mean encouraging this culture and in turn that would be harmful for society.

There are some questions to be asked here:

Are we managing poverty or looking at measures to eliminate it?

With new definitions of BPL and all the hue and cry associated with it, the focus has shifted to issues that in no way search for a solution to eradicate poverty but of merely trying to manage it. A way of obviating from the obstacles that we face.  Of course the policy makers can do what they have in their hands (who again are at the mercy of the revolutionary politicians who mostly think about reforms every five years).

Is there a mechanism by which there can be at least a shift with respect to realizing the fact that its empowerment that is needed. To make people realize that they are the masters of their own destiny instead of creating an environment where the seeker would have to earn it and not through some subsidies or benefits thrown in as an alms.

Can we blame those who beg?

I have always believed that empathy or when we try to place ourself in the shoes of the other person leads to more rational, just and unbiased decisions than sympathy. No we can just not blame them. Given a choice nobody would ever want to beg, go to sleep without a morsel.

Of course then there’s the question as to whether these people would take up a job or work if given a chance to do so. The sceptics would say no they won’t and they would not be completely incorrect with that supposition.

So what is the solution?

Of course neither begging nor giving alms to beggars is the solution. It is not a permanent solution in any way. We give when we want to, we chide and shoo them away when we want to. To give may sometimes be a sign of mercy and compassion, at other times it may be accepting and encouraging the curse that ails our society.

Whatever be the case, poverty cannot be ignored and over looked. For any society to evolve, their needs to be holistic development and we need to find a mechanism to teach a man to fish. This is the only way to eradicate this disease.

“To give or not to give” should then be replaced by “Is this to be or not to be”. That is the question.