Yea for life. Nay for risk.
Upon reading “On Dumpster Diving,” our class discussed the fact that Eighner, the narrator, chooses to be homeless. It’s hard to believe he’s in that position because of an absence in choice, for he has an education and an intellectual background, according to my class. It made me think about the other people that are seemingly satisfied while living in conditions similar to him. The first thing that came to mind was the beggars in Dubai. I read an article about it a while ago, and it had intrigued me.
As many may know, Dubai is a place to wealth. A lot of people there are loaded. That’s why the beggars there make, well, a lot. Like, a lot. So much that some make more in a month than the average person makes in a year. This caused me to, over the year, make some jokes about giving up and moving to Dubai to become a beggar. Although begging in Dubai is illegal, (I know, bummer) it doesn’t stop people from flying over to Dubai to take on begging. I mean, for many, it’s worth the risk. Apparently the police caught this one foreigner making $73,500 a month with a three-month tourist visa. Who doesn’t want that (except for the police capture part)?
This brings me back to Eighner in his essay. Eighner can live off the dumpsters, but these same dumpsters hold the risk of sickness and more, similar to the risk of the beggars in Dubai getting caught. Many people choose to do things without knowing the consequences, but others do, but because they believe the risk is worth the advantages. It made me realize that all people have different views on how to live life, and it’s difficult to say whether some way is right or wrong (not saying that what the beggars in Dubai are doing is right or wrong—I think it’s clear that they are wrong). I think we should just go on living life the way we think we should and not judge others by their version of what’s right.
Love your post Sujin!! People should be allowed to make the choice of what is right and what it wrong by their definition themselves. However giving complete freedom of that choice can be detrimental. For example, in my opinion, a foreigner going to Dubai to earn extra cash by taking advantage of the habitants seems immoral since at that point it is hard to tell whether he is really in need of help or has no will to work.
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ReplyDeleteInteresting Post!!!! I really enjoyed the way you connected yourself with the post when you described the idea of how you want to go to Dubai. I also liked the way you introduced the news about beggars earning a lot in Dubai. I completely agree with you on the point that we should not judge others by their version of what's right.
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