Not Used to Seeing Beggars
Begging
A delicate and sensitive subject; one that can create a range of emotions on the why, how and wherefore's.
It can be hard to put ourselves in the shoes of others, and it has been said that to truly understand success you also need to understand failure.
Epic fails can be really positive things, depending on the next step, the next things that are engaged in to change the situation or energy flow.
We are all in the same game, I haven't come across anyone who has had a free ride in the living stakes; if you have count your blessings.
The Natural Order;
The natural order, dictates that people fall in love, I have a young niece experiencing the heart ache of that summer romance coming to an end. Life will go on.
The unnatural order, we fall in love couple up, do the family thing, work hard all our lives, so when we are old we have enough money to retire.
It seems such a twisted way to live, the feeling is that we are destined for better things than that, yet the majority follow the same formula. Surely there must be a better way of getting from A to B. As for folks exposed to the online marketing world, the reality is that there is.
Having said that, retirement with your health intact is living the dream at any age.
The thing with life, is that it never goes according plan, sometimes we can fall through the cracks of our own best laid plans.
For some the fall is to the bottom.
The shock of beggars in a City;
I am currently traveling, and was shocked to see folks begging in a 1st world city. It raises a few questions; dude you are leading a sheltered life, Being the leading one.
Being an onlinner my world is a world of possibilities, so this never occurred to me. Perhaps something naive or childlike in that.
There was this one guy sitting in an office doorway; It was the weekend so it was shut, with what appeared to be all his worldly possessions, a little plastic cup with some coins in it. A sign that read;
Please help me,
I haven't eaten for days,
Some money for food.
God Bless you.
The irony of the situation;
The shop next door was a cafe; about 1 metre from where this person was sitting a sign on a sheet of A4 hand written and placed on the cafe window;
Desperately needed person to wash dishes full training given.
Start today.
Apply within, at the counter.
We need you!
Please help us.
Digest that;
Just digest that, For a moment, I hope that I have painted a picture.
We are living in a world of possibilities if only we can see them. Perception and mindset are the currency of success.
There is a twist, 24 hours later, my wallet is stolen, I am down town in a city no money or access to money everything is closed it is the weekend.
I guess I find a plastic cup in a rubbish bin borrow a pen and make a sign.
No !
I have a phone, I am online I have a world of opportunities to explore. Opportunities that are mine to create.
Perception and Mindset.
People keep telling me that Wealthy Affiliate is not a get-rich-quick scheme and that folks should buck up their ideas and face facts.
I say that Wealthy Affiliate is one of the best get quick rich schemes there is on the planet today.
It Depends;
It depends on whether you consider rich as being the number of zeros on your bank account balance;
or
Rich being the ability, knowledge and understanding to be able to convert that understanding over and over again to create dollars in the bank or to give away.
One is sustainable and one is not.
As always I am interested in your thoughts and truly appreciate hearing what you think, so climb on board and let me know.
Alex Evans
Our friend in need;
We can always do more, yet our busyness consumes many of us. It has been so enlightening reading the reflections and comments that you have given to this post. It is a privilege that you have taken the time.
As to our young friend;
Like many of us, we do not see those opportunities that are staring us in the face. We miss many in the blink of an eye.
So to effect change, it only takes a few words or some motivation. When the fall is arrested by hitting rock bottom, it can be a long way to crawl and climb back to the top
there are some possible outcomes.
Someone could have pointed out the sign and suggested that the person should apply, someone could have brought the beggar some clothes to tidy up their act, someone could have accompanied the beggar inside to partake in a coffee and then suggest that they ask for that job.
Sometimes all it takes is a little helping hand; sometimes, there are good outcomes. When we look into someone's eyes, we can see where they live and how they are traveling, many need that help up, and then they are way on a fast bike.
It was a good outcome for all concerned.
Much like WA, sometimes all it takes is that helping hand, there is something to be said about paying it forward.
Recent Comments
141
Hi Alex,
I appreciate the message behind this post. The comments received have been very thought provoking also. I am sorry to hear about your wallet getting stolen. Hopefully, you were able to make the calls to prevent further problems.
Some places seem to attract more homeless situations and beggars than other places. I live in such an area. I have heard that beggars can make really good money in areas/cities where there are a lot of caring people.
I once hired a couple of homeless men/former carpenters to help with a few projects around my house. I made the mistake of giving them some money for time worked so that they could buy lunch. Instead, they bought alcohol and got drunk. They never came back even though I would seem them around.
Getting back to the moral of your story, sometimes the help that we are seeking is available. We just have to take the time to look around us.
Hi Sondra, good to see you, and I hope that the new year goes well for you.
It has been an enlightening and vibrant conversation.
Some areas do seem to attract more beggars than most.
It was interesting I was waiting for a bus to travel inland and was approached by a person seeking money to get the bus back home.
I explained that I had had my wallet stolen so I didn't have any money. I had some money I would have brought a ticket for him.
" You have had your wallet stolen"?
" Yes "
" You have no money"?
"Yes"
" I will buy a ticket for you "
" It is okay, man I have a ticket "
What a strange world we live in.
There is definitely a niche in begging and like you say some beggars make a good living.
There are so many opportunities out there we just have to have to listen with our eyes at times.
When folks get stuck in a position it can be hard yards to get back onto your real-life journey, for sure.
Thank you for sharing Sondra, much appreciated.
Alex
The sad truth is that the beggar might not meet the minimum expectations even for that simple job of washing dishes. He/she might not have a bank account, clean clothes, good enough physical health, mental health etc. etc.
That said you do raise a good point. The world is full of opportunities and they are yours to take. I constantly try to remind myself how incredibly lucky I am to have born in a fairly wealthy country with a good education system. I have a lot more options and freedom than most of the people in this world. Most here do.
The simple fact you can access the Internet and have the means to build an online business makes you extremely lucky and privileged.
All the best!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Jukkah, we can be smashed down just one time too many it can be very hard to get back up, for many that find themselves in this situation.
It can be hard to see any opportunity let alone the ones that are right in front of us.
The internet is a world of opportunity and it is ours to claim a space that creates the life that we want
Alex
Oh such an interesting topic and discussion. I've become a bit jaded having seen more than a few folks being dropped off by Mercedes vehicles in the morning or picked up in the evening. For some, it's a business, which makes it so very hard to separate those who are direly in need of help. And around here, there are local governments who have 'outlawed' it all together. I'm pretty much of the opinion that if I can help, I do but very selectively and never with cash.
Hi Christine thank you for your comment, definitely food for thought.
It has been brought to my attention that some folks are involved in the business of begging.
In terms of a niche there is a range of protocols and unwritten laws, involved, it is rather interesting.
I really like your approach, help on kind rather than cash.
Alex.
That has happened in London too. A few years back journalists discovered more than one setting up in lucrative spots looking the part. They would go back to their expensive homes later and when asked why pointed out that they could earn more by begging than working a 9-5.
Unfortunately that put many people off helping those that really need it.
As with the contrast you gave about the two signs, that of the beggars and that of the restaurant's we still need to be careful. When seeing something like this we should always take into consideration that we don't know all of the circumstances of what we see. Be careful that, upon seeing something like this, we are not passing judgment too hastily.
Perhaps the beggar at one point, DID try to get get work with the restaurant and was denied for whatever reason. It could be perceived antisocial tendencies or physical limitations of the beggar. In spite of such a desperate call for people to come into a business seeking employment doesn't always mean the business will take in just anyone. You can be sure any reputable business will be looking out to be sure who they hire will be right for the position. What you've said may very well be so, but we don't know. I have learnt this lesson at times that, not everything is as evident as we think and the information, though seems to be complete, only becomes so because we tend to paint the picture within the sketch that we see in front of us.
To do this, even though this may be true of the scenario, is a fallacy if we rely on what we see at face value. There are some beggars out there that are lazy and won't work when they are capable of doing so and this is incontrovertible, but this is not true in many instances.
I began to cringe a little when you wrote of WA as a "get rich quick scheme" but yes, in the way of gaining knowledge and experience through what is taught here, in that regard, is wealth. Wealth doesn't always refer to an abundance of money and so, what you've said applies.
Thanks!
Daniel
PS: Having read the thread, I can see this point has already been well-covered!
Hi Daniel, good to see you and thank you for sharing your thoughts.
It can be so easy to pass judgement, in hast. In this case it is about contrast, we all share so many similarities, when it comes to living.
It can be so easy to be influenced by others around us, as opposed to following our own paths.
In many of the situations that we find ourselves, it can be easy to miss opportunities, for one reason or another.
At the heart of this post it was that which stood out.
Observing the various players there could be so many possible outcomes, it can be about timing.
Even if we think in terms of our own lives, 5 minutes either side of action creates a whole set of outcomes.
If on a voyage the ship is a mere 1 degree out at the start of the journey, the boat would miss it's destination.
Just by changing one input, the end game can be entirely different.
What if the person took the opportunity, he may have succeed he may not of, we can sit on the sidelines and speculate.
That isn't how life works.
As for marketers, the key can to become a non judgemental observer.
The flow continues, WA, can be the engine room of successful outcomes.
It comes down to our perceptions and mindset.
We are the ones that dictate what path we choose to follow.
It has been a very inspiring comment thread, I have learnt a lot thank you for joining in Daniel.
Alex
I can see the contrast in your writing now. Although I did read the part about opportunity the contrasting element became overshadowed by the analogy.
It takes a lot of courage to set out in a world of consumerism to rise above living just like those around you. The moment you stand out as being "different," there are always those around you that try to pull you back down to where they think you belong.
It is far too easy to just blend in with the likes of neighbours and friends, family and social norms. I could see this message in the post but missed the point, not seeing the whole picture.
So many lie on their deathbeds, groaning in despair, regret and dissatisfaction. They knew they missed opportunities, even those they could have created.
The same raw materials are here for everyone, and all the more for those of us who live in countries where enterprise is allowed for anyone who seek her. Our own oppression comes about, not by those around us, but by our very being.
It is too easy to conform and, wealth starts when we can step outside of that. The very beginning of wealth IS knowledge and the right kind of education. Wow! my studies of the 1990s and 2000s, even extending into the 2010s were all about this.
Even then, I allowed myself to be pulled down out of the clouds by others who constantly told me, "You can't do this!" Just last week, I had a good friend tell me to drop all that Internet marketing because it doesn't work anymore.
I said nothing. However, I knew it was me (allowing important things to go to the back of my mind) - not the industry. I have been lulled back to the land of Consumers despite my knowledge about the consumer trap and what is taught, by the successful, on what wealth is.
Wealth isn't all about money. Having lots of money and material success is but an outcome and a manifestation of wealth. Wealth is a mindset, a mentality, and the wisdom, courage and creativity on how to put it to work for one's self in spite of the odds and the opposition.
Thank you for your input. The explanation, I can see the post in its complete picture now, not just its parts. I am glad to have you on my Buddy List because I always learn from you. As a WA Ambassador, you are a perfect match and an asset to the community! As a person, it's simply beyond words!
I have more to look forward to, just re-reading the thread now since you were here this time around!
Hi Daniel, thank you for commenting, I enjoy your thinking, you get people thinking, which is to be admired: I say that sincerely.
I think it was Bob Dylan who wrote the lyrics;
Bent out of shape by society's pliers.
Cares not to bring himself up any higher.
Sooner drag you down into the hole that he's in.
I just added a little to this post, there was a good outcome.
If we have been rattling around these corridors for a while we get to see so much the seasons come and go just as the people come to stake their claim and then for many they drift away and move on.
Without realizing exactly what they have in their grasp.
It takes time to mature into the online world.
Looking at this post it is an in-depth look at what can be and what we at times can miss, if we look at aspects of it we bring a bias with us and that bias travels with us, so we do not see what is in front of us.
If someone tells us that it can not be done or it is going to take a long time and we take that on board we are living their assumptions; not creating our own path.
It is an interesting phase, writing here at times the posts take on a life of their own conversations evolve, to a degree I am the observer, uninvolved as people engage in a conversation started by the words delivered.
The author, watches it unfold. The key to reaching out is to create the words and then set them free, to let them seek gainful employment in the minds of the audience.
I hope that makes sense.
Yes. It does after careful reading more than once.
The key is: to stay on course in spite of the opposition. Denial can be caused by the assumptions of others AND THOSE OF OUR OWN. Opportunities are missed because of the blinders we have created for our own eyes whether they be of our own making or from the influence of others with inhibiting beliefs.
The other major inhibitor: Knowing something is doable but letting procrastination raise its ugly head. I am more guilty of this than anything else. We also can let ourselves become laden with things that are counterproductive and non relevant to our objectives in spite of our beliefs that it can be accomplished.
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What an amazing journey you have been on, Alex. Seeing the beauty and the horror. It's so hard to understand that in our country there are beggars.
I remember when visiting Sydney in 1965 or thereabouts, seeing people living in shop doorways. Seeing these people was horrible and sad.
It is pitiful that some human beings allow themselves to deteriorate to almost nothing.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Alex.
Valerie
Hi Valerie, it has been a very interesting journey both physically and on the inside.
From a marketing perspective, I view the world in a certain way the trouble is that we can become too linear. We are all just people trying to get by and to do our best.
The time that we live in is so interesting, there is so much opportunity many of us don't see it.
I think to make that transition to where your headspace and mindset is about helping others. if we step outside our normal we start to see new opportunities.
For people who get caught in their middle it is very hard to see past what affects them.
Thank you for stopping by.
Alex