21/09/2024
The beggar you see on the street
Every city has them, we've all seen them as we walk past in a hurry to get somewhere. They could be what they seem, a drugged up pisshead squandering their dole money on coke and cheap lager BUT they could also be a military veteran who was sent to a far off country to do things they didnt want to for reasons they didnt understand.
They may have killed people, they may have seen their friends blown up and may have laid the Union Flag on coffin after coffin as it was taken on to an aircraft to be sent back the UK.
They may be a dad or a mum who lost their family and had no money and nowhere else to go other than the street.
They may have been born with mental issues, a prediliction for alcohol, drugs, gambling, they could have come from an abusive family, the list goes on.
So before you dismiss the person you see on the street with a dog as their only friend and a begging bowl in front of them, spare a thought that this person may have gone to an unneccessary war for you and may have been mentally scarred for you so that you can walk by them without much of a care in the world. Or they could have been made to eat a s**t sandwich earlier in their lives and it's affected them in ways we can't understand
Please treat people kindly, you don't need to give money but a smile, a hello or just silent understanding will do.
You will never know their background and why they ended up sitting on the street or sleeping in a cold doorway at night cuddled up with their four legged friend for warmth.