begging

Begging
In a 1786 James Gillray caricature, the plentiful money bags handed to King George III are contrasted with the beggar whose legs and arms were amputated, in the left corner.
Begging is the present participle of the verb 'beg.' To beg is mean to entreat earnestly, implore, or supplicate. People, generally, do it for a gift, donation or charitable donation. When done in the context of a public place, it is known as "panhandling", perhaps because the hand and arm are extended. Although begging is illegal it does not carry a jail sentence under the Vagrancy Act 1824. Beggars may be found in public places such as transport routes, parks, and near busy markets. They mostly request money, but may also ask for cigarettes or other small items. So, what most people seem to do, is to say, “No, I’m sorry,” or something equivalent to people begging money; or to simply ignore them. Several times, I’ve seen someone begging on the street, where people just carry on their conversations, reading their magazines, or just looking past them, ignoring them.
I have also seen people giving money, but still ignoring the person. I would argue that this isn’t any better than ignoring them and not giving any money. In fact, I can imagine that such behavior actually does more harm. It’s as if you give money to get rid of the person begging. “Take the money and get out of my face.”
I have heard people say that if you give money directly to the people begging, that will cause more harm than supporting some organization devoted to helping the homeless. I have actually heard insane things, like that there are people who have become millionaires from begging! Somewhat less insane is the idea that they only buy drugs or alcohol for the money that you give them.
Many people begin to beg because they are not receiving benefits when they first start their business. It can break their family, psychological state and finally, all life. Many of them feel worthless, they can’t realize their dreams, they can’t and don’t know how to get out of the situation. They has no choice, circumstances force them to beg and plead.
In some countries begging is much more tolerated and in certain cases encouraged. In many, perhaps most, traditional religions, it is considered that a person who gives alms to a worthy beggar, such as a spiritual seeker, gains religious merit.
The people on the streets are people like you and me. What put them on the streets are chains of events. Period. What’s to say that a similar chain of events wouldn’t put you on the street? If people in general start regarding homeless people as “people who have experienced unfortunate chains of events” (to put it mildly), and stop ignoring them, stop dropping sarcastic remarks like, “I have earned this money. It’s mine. Get a job!” – wouldn’t it be easier for them to recover? This is a sick part of society and we must treat it.