9
What’s Our Duty?
W
alking to the University of Bedfordshire on a hot Friday afternoon, I came across a woman sitting on one side of the path all alone and looking at the passer bys. She was a foreign woman in her mid forties, dressed in a long, billowing dress with an expectant look in her eyes. I recognised her from the previous week. As I had previously approached her, she had looked at me her hand outstretched and smiled: “May God bless you.” I reached into my pocket and handed her some money and continued on my way home. This brought back some memories from when I was a child. Often we would get a knock on the door, where usually women or children would hold out a card saying they were hungry and wanted food or money. This would happen many times over the years, and we were often told by parents and neighbours alike not to give them anything. This is because they were not actually impoverished, but asked for money simply because it was an easier way to get a few extra pounds. Sometimes I would see these same children, their pockets filled with food, knocking on the doors of the neighbourhood for money; while secretly reaching into their pockets for mouthfuls of
food. This created some conflicting views within me: if they had food, then why where they knocking on doors for money? These same women had gold capped teeth (I supposed this meant they had money) so why did they ‘beg’ from others? It was confusing, but as I grew older I realised that perhaps some people were not as ‘poor’ as they would like others to think they were. Perhaps it was a ploy they used to get money; a trade that they had adopted. Whatever the reason, I understood that giving charity was good and should be encouraged. But I also realised that there were lots of scams that people used to take advantage of the uninformed in society. The second time I met the woman, I saw people just walk by. 100 yards further I saw a man asking for money. Again, no one stopped. This made me think: what makes an individual resort to asking for money from complete strangers? Is it the harshness of their reality or just an easier way to make ends meet than to get a job? A few years ago on a trip abroad I came across a similar situation. There, begging was a much bigger issue. I witnessed parents urging their children to go ask for money whilst they sold goods on the street.
As shoppers mingled, children would come and pester shoppers until they handed over something. After witnessing this scene, it seemed foolish to believe that these children were actually poor. They were obviously taking advantage of ‘foreigners’ in their country. Furthermore, in trying to understand what our duty is towards ‘beggars’ we need to observe what the government has to say about begging. Begging in the UK is illegal. When confronted with such people it is advised to call the police. This is because they are not actually destitute, as the state provides for them sufficiently. Benefits are provided for people whether they are asylum seekers or homeless. Nonetheless, we do have a moral duty to help others in need. This doesn’t always mean giving money; it could be a kind word or a smile. There are also many charity organisations that work diligently to help others who are less fortunate than us. Although we have no legal duty towards beggars, we can exercise our moral duty by volunteering at such organisations. Likewise, our duty depends on what we believe it is and how we interpret it should be implemented. By Zaherah Saghir