Friday, September 24, 2004
Get Off Your Bum!

Yesterday's cover story of TNP caught my attention...it scrreamed the headline "Young man, why are you begging?" and it certainly caught my attention.There are two primary reasons for this.First,the guy n question is all of 25 years old,able bodied and does not exactly come from a needy family.Yet the bugger is sitting on his fat bum in an underpass in Orchard Road,begging not for a living but for money to enhance his life...buy a pair of Reebok sneakers or a pair of spectacles.Even in an age of absurdity,this takes the cake.Second reason why I am fascinated by this story is because I see this guy around near Hougang Mall begging as well.I mentioned about him once to Jean Grey a long time ago when this shameless bum would sit near a staircase close to the shopping mall and beg openly.I couldn't beleiev it then that such a young man would need to resort to begging,I mean,surely he can find a job,right?He didn't look like he was intellectually or physically disabled or something.What's wrong with him?

Yesterday's TNP story provided me with background to this guy's story.Basically,this is a bum who stopped school since he was secondary four and then after that decided that he never wanted to work and would live off the allowances his parents give him and the money he cheats through begging on the streets.I said cheating because that is what it is.Cheating.Why should working folks on the streets give money to bums like him out of the perception that they need it for their next meal?Only to be rudely awakened to the fact that they use it to buy luxuries the average folk wouldn't dream of.Read the article and look at his answers when asked why he didn't find work.He doesn't work because he would only work near his home and there are no jobs near his home.What an excuse!What a bum!And asked if he thinks he should be the one supporting his parents...take a look at his answer.If I had a gun,I know where one bullet is going.Into his thick an infilial head.Even has the gall to say that he hoped the day that his parents stopped supporting him would never come.What kind of a person is this???And his lifestyle?Sleep until late noon then go beg.What is this?If you rear a pig,at least you can slaughter it for meat.This guy?What do you do with a gigantic waste of space who does nothing but eat,sleep,beg and produce faeces?

It makes my blood boil when I see folks like this on the streets.Abled bodied people who are too lazy to earn their own keeps and make their own living.Relying on the charity of others and the affection of their parents to stay alive.What's the value of such a person on earth?I have to admit that secretly there might be people who may want to have a life like his but these people are responsible enough to know that life should not be like this.It's not just about a meaningless existence,it's also about self-worth.This guy obviously has none.I guess secondary school syllabus does not teach about self-worth huh?It's funny that they might teach about sex education in secondary school but not about the psyche of the self.

Reading similar related articles,you get the picture that there are a lot of beggar out there full of skulduggery.They look pitiful on the outside and stuff like that but enter their homes and you're amazed to find yourself in a palace.How these people have the cheek to do beg and lead such extravagant lifestyles boggles me.I am astonished that people can be so amoral.But then again it proves that there are all sorts of people living in this world...and Singapore.I've seen my fair share of beggars,of course.Especially on my trips to China,it has been a major eye-opener.The streets in China are practically lined with them.They are everywhere.In the underpasses,on the overhead bridges,along the roads,everywhere.And some of them are extremely pitiful looking.Distorted and maimed limbs.Countryside women with their infants begging in teh cold at night.Children running all over the place,asking you for a pittance.It's almost unreal.Where did they come from?Are they for real?Is it syndicated?Or is it genuine?I never knew so I never gave.But coming back to home,the fact that it can be so close to home still surprises me.And some of these guys are a thousand times worse than their counterparts in China.Because they are able-bodied and not needy.Folks,keep your money in your pockets.Acts of kindness can be performed in other ways.Do not waste your cash.