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Tuesday 6 March 2012

Lessons From a Beggar


There is a certain kind of people we see every day but we do not pay much attention to them.  What did you do the last time you saw a beggar? Many of us feel a moving spirit inside of us, which sees us reaching to our pockets, purses or wallets to give what small change we have. A greater portion of us roll up windows and look away to the red robot that seems to be taking forever to turn green, some even toggle the radio with no cause.  Today I brought the question closer to home, what did I do this morning when I saw a beggar?

This morning when the taxi passed a place called Killarny, I saw a familiar face, a beggar that has always been at that very same spot from ever since I can remember.  The first thing that erupted in my mind was diligence, commitment and a true persevering grit, like no other I have witnessed. Why these traits, you ask.  These are just some traits that a lot of people lack in almost everything that we encounter on a day to day basis. A lot of people lack them in totality and never find them their entire lives. In saying so, many are only committed to feeding themselves or going to the bathroom to relieve themselves, their diligence is only existent because of conformity and being comfortable and the one thing that a form of grit is seen is in the natural feat of waking up every day, so we might as well as not put that in the list because they have no control over that. Now, some might be asking themselves, is the beggar not comfortable where he is, if he is at the same spot every day? To anyone who does, I will ask this of them: 'if you were on crutches and crippled where would you be?'

If you or anyone in this world wants to see a glimpse of hope, look into the beggars eyes when he has just found a meal for a day, watch him processing, calculating in his mind how he can turn this little he has into a meal, not just for a day but for the next week. At that point, portion is portion and little nonexistent. If you want to see mercy, as the beggar walks away from you, look at his callous wedged feet and ask yourself how great God is to put a sole under his feet.  While you cringe at an awful fart smell in a taxi or in a room, think and hopefully be in awe of how God masks his nose from the scent that emanates from his body and clothing from months without a drop of water to bathe. At dusk, when the city streets start clearing up, the beggar gathers up the solar charged energy within his limbs to start gathering the remains of potential substance for a winter night, that seems to be a life time to you and I deprived of sleep from a measly cough. As the common beggar does, should we not too in our minds at the clearing of the day’s events invest a thought in our faith, because that night transcends to more than just a couple of hours, it is a lifetime lived and his can end in a whim.

Being a beggar means that you have suffered seclusion, so does being a nerd or introvert.  Being a beggar means you do it all to survive, so did our parents do so that we could be what we are today, fed and educated.  Being that beggar means I find sustenance in others remains, so does it seem to me being paid for one man’s idea that you keep running in what company you work. Being that beggar speaks of and in one culture, one creed and that is survival. The hand of God is seen in the life of a beggar, which is divinity at its best.

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