Begging

France has many problems, besides being inhabited by Frenchies, one of them being the crawling mendicity all over the streets. Some self imposed, other real troubled people and even some criminalized groups.

One colleague justly pointed out to me that some actually are showing us that there is another way to live than the one we all must follow. Indeed, he has a point. Is their life worth more than ours that work and die running after mindless material possessions? Working and dying for nothing? Those I smile at, because they follow the path they desire, never asking for pity or more than a couple of coins in order to see the very next day and its wonders. Along with a few beers. Sadly they don't do anything to deserve it. At least a show, at least a good jape. Nothing.

I pity those who hit the streets out of their ending worlds, but I do not do much than throwing some coins once in while. But I despise the institutionalized false poverty that some gypsies and romanian mafias use and abuse in many corners of France. Some female beggars will shake an empty paper glass to make me hear the coins while saying pitié pitié, or a child will come looking at me with puppies eyes asking for "une pièce", never accepting a no for an answer. Asking as if I would say yes at some point. Others join their hands and ask with their silent faces. Almost true if it was not for the pimp guy a few meters behind them waiting for the daily salary. Or was it the glimpse of the golden teeth they show? They chose to live like that, living on the false kindness of those who help them. Some even refuse food. They want money. Some are forced to. But it's part of a system that can be controlled.

So much falsehood.

Meanwhile some souls are shattered and wait to die in the alley. Needing help that vultures keep away from them. They don't ask for anything, just letting go of life. Those we don't see. Happy to have made a good action feeding the professional beggars. We wait for the next winter to take as many as possible while we share a Christmas meal.

Did I mention the nice store windows that many youngsters make in their nice brand clothes in the city? Asking for 40 cents in front of the subway entrance? Poor guys. Spending so much money on clothes and hair conditioning oblige them to beg for a subway pass. Because today there is someone not allowing them to jump the barrier. Otherwise no money would be needed. Fashion is a demanding lover. And also here they prefer to have a G-star shirt than a decent meal. Trying to become someone they'll never be, trying to wear an image they will only see themselves in a world focused on looking into itself .

I'm not sure who the beggar is in all of this.