Sunday, August 08, 2004
"Bums!"
Bums. homeless people. There are plenty of them in the city, and i guess i have to make a distinction here. not all homeless people are bums, and not all bums are homeless!
Working in the city you see a lot of people who live there on the street corners, down alleys and the like (well, you pretty much smell them [or where they've been] before you see them!) They often just sit on the benches and ask passers by if they have any spare change or 'i haven't eaten in days, could i get some money?' Its kinda getting to me because as part of my job i have to walk back and forward past them about 5 times a day.
I have given money before. not often, but i have. I just have issues with this. These people, by begging, even if only 10 peope give them a dollar each hour, make almost as much as i do by working my butt off. And most of this money probably goes towards buying things that wont help them at all (cigs, drugs, booze). I know this is a generalisation, but this is a very true generaisation, here are two examples.
Case 1:
A mate of mine was approached by a bum who said to him: "Hey brother, can you spare some money? i havent eaten in three days." My mate felt sorry for him, but because he didnt have any money, he went back to work and got his sandwich he had made himself for lunch, and went back and gave it to the man. The man looked at the sandwich and said 'er..thanks' and walked away. A while later, my friend passed by again and saw the bum there begging again, and his sandwich thrown in the bin, uneaten, next to him.
Case 2:
Ziggy. He is the bum who lives in Toowong, near my University. He is also known as 'the bag man' because of the HUGE collection of bags of stuff he has all around his 'home' which is generally in the large median strip in the middle of high street. Now, the thing everyone loathes about this guy, is that he is a leech. he gets a pension from the government. enough to give him decent accomodation should he so choose. But he doesnt. He chooses to live there for the time being, he has been interviewed in the past, and said he has a plan for his life, and that its no ones business how he lives. He uses the money to buy groceries and saves quite a nest egg out of the rest. He also said that the only thing he sometimes craves for is "Female companionship, which some young uni students are happy to provide for a fee."
I really dislike this. he is squatting in the street there, making a packet off not paying rent/electricity/rates etc. Police have told him to move along (even come and moved him before) but he just comes back. If they put him in jail, he wouldnt mind, because then he wouldnt have to pay for ANYthing and get free meals and the like! argh!
recentley though, he was fire bombed by some Uni students (who were arrested) they threw an old crate for carrying bread at him, that was set on fire. hmmm.. were they doing what we were all thinking? ;) (just kidding!)
But yes! My issue here is this. We are supposed to love one another right? and the good samaritain stopped to help the guy. should i be giving change to these people? when most likely they will use it for bad stuff? when they cant get up and get themselves a job like everyone else?
Jesus did say to Judas that there would always be poor people, and we do not have the resources to care for them all. What should I do? i mean, there are soup kitchens that these people can go to! why do they always make me so guilty about not giving them money! ARGH!
Oh, and I'd just like to gloat for a while, if i may! :D BRONCOS defeat AUCKLAND WARRIORS, and, WALLABEES defeat ALL BLACKS! w00t! 0WNZ0R3D!
Oh! and msn is a wonderful thing! :D Had a very random convo with Mike and Fraser last night! very VERY random! :) IM not sure how many subjects we transferred to, but included was: the ancient art of Cow tipping, Rock and Commercial Worship music, Giant Mutant Grasshoppers, Americo-Russio-Swedish Global weather conspiricies, Sects, and, of course, IGNlish! :)
Well thats about it from da west saide of the river!
Make sure you're alll procrastinating people! :)
SAM
Bums. homeless people. There are plenty of them in the city, and i guess i have to make a distinction here. not all homeless people are bums, and not all bums are homeless!
Working in the city you see a lot of people who live there on the street corners, down alleys and the like (well, you pretty much smell them [or where they've been] before you see them!) They often just sit on the benches and ask passers by if they have any spare change or 'i haven't eaten in days, could i get some money?' Its kinda getting to me because as part of my job i have to walk back and forward past them about 5 times a day.
I have given money before. not often, but i have. I just have issues with this. These people, by begging, even if only 10 peope give them a dollar each hour, make almost as much as i do by working my butt off. And most of this money probably goes towards buying things that wont help them at all (cigs, drugs, booze). I know this is a generalisation, but this is a very true generaisation, here are two examples.
Case 1:
A mate of mine was approached by a bum who said to him: "Hey brother, can you spare some money? i havent eaten in three days." My mate felt sorry for him, but because he didnt have any money, he went back to work and got his sandwich he had made himself for lunch, and went back and gave it to the man. The man looked at the sandwich and said 'er..thanks' and walked away. A while later, my friend passed by again and saw the bum there begging again, and his sandwich thrown in the bin, uneaten, next to him.
Case 2:
Ziggy. He is the bum who lives in Toowong, near my University. He is also known as 'the bag man' because of the HUGE collection of bags of stuff he has all around his 'home' which is generally in the large median strip in the middle of high street. Now, the thing everyone loathes about this guy, is that he is a leech. he gets a pension from the government. enough to give him decent accomodation should he so choose. But he doesnt. He chooses to live there for the time being, he has been interviewed in the past, and said he has a plan for his life, and that its no ones business how he lives. He uses the money to buy groceries and saves quite a nest egg out of the rest. He also said that the only thing he sometimes craves for is "Female companionship, which some young uni students are happy to provide for a fee."
I really dislike this. he is squatting in the street there, making a packet off not paying rent/electricity/rates etc. Police have told him to move along (even come and moved him before) but he just comes back. If they put him in jail, he wouldnt mind, because then he wouldnt have to pay for ANYthing and get free meals and the like! argh!
recentley though, he was fire bombed by some Uni students (who were arrested) they threw an old crate for carrying bread at him, that was set on fire. hmmm.. were they doing what we were all thinking? ;) (just kidding!)
But yes! My issue here is this. We are supposed to love one another right? and the good samaritain stopped to help the guy. should i be giving change to these people? when most likely they will use it for bad stuff? when they cant get up and get themselves a job like everyone else?
Jesus did say to Judas that there would always be poor people, and we do not have the resources to care for them all. What should I do? i mean, there are soup kitchens that these people can go to! why do they always make me so guilty about not giving them money! ARGH!
Oh, and I'd just like to gloat for a while, if i may! :D BRONCOS defeat AUCKLAND WARRIORS, and, WALLABEES defeat ALL BLACKS! w00t! 0WNZ0R3D!
Oh! and msn is a wonderful thing! :D Had a very random convo with Mike and Fraser last night! very VERY random! :) IM not sure how many subjects we transferred to, but included was: the ancient art of Cow tipping, Rock and Commercial Worship music, Giant Mutant Grasshoppers, Americo-Russio-Swedish Global weather conspiricies, Sects, and, of course, IGNlish! :)
Well thats about it from da west saide of the river!
Make sure you're alll procrastinating people! :)
SAM
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