Childhood Days...

The best days of our lives - - childhood days. Ain't it??

But imagine this:
You are walking down a street, returning back home from college, or your job place. Suddenly you see a girl. She's healthy, hair is bit messy. She's dressed in a red salwar kurta, and she's holding her salwar as if she has just pee-ed and come and not tied it. She looks at you, you look back at her. She raises her hand and starts begging. You try and ignore her and start walking. She realizes you are hesitant and are feeling pity for her. She realizes this and starts following you. She follows you for 5 whole minutes. Your friend is walking back with you. He tells you to ignore her. But you cant. Cos you don't know how to say no. Especially to kids like her. You keep a hand on her back sweetly and talk back equally sweetly to her and say "nahi hai".. But then she still follows you with an irritating tone "something in Kannada". You out of pity hand her a 5 rupee coin, or maybe just to get rid of her..

Do you think what you did was right?

Its like this saying by who I dont remember (if you know please tell me and correct the quote), "Its bad to speard your hands, and its even more bad if you refuse to help the person who has spread his hands in front of you." This quote confuses me. Should begging be encouraged or discouraged? This quote kinda encourages begging!

I don't understand why do parents like theirs give birth to their kids! To send them to beg or just to have a family for namesake. They are discouraged from studying and sent to beg. And people like the one in the story encourage them to beg. They take the wrong route:" The easy way". "Ab yaar kaun kaam karega? Saala kaam hi nahi mil raha... nahi mil raha to ab aur kya karsakte hai? but beg?!" They don't try! There are some who are capable of doing work but just don't try. And there are some who genuinely can't. Like the ones kicked out of homes.. But then they do try too.. Who knows?...

Its a very very delicate topic... Human part makes me feel pity and help them. The other practical, strong part of me makes me think, why not encourage them to work and make them stand on their own feet and then make them taste the bread earned by them? To try and make them understand that "The bread earned by your own money will taste exotic!".

Why not at least encourage them to try! Why take their kids childhood days away from them? This is the time when their minds are innocent, waiting to be molded into something beautiful.. That's the time when they are curious and eager to learn something. This is the time when they should enjoy their days. This time is gonna be the best days of their lives too, when they grow up... This is the time whey their roots have to be made strong. This is the time when their characters will be built. When they study, they will work, have a job, earn money, and eat their bread with their heads high.

So is it right in our part to encourage them and hand them money? Hand money to kids who seem to be healthy, and kinda well to do. In the lower class. Not the extreme case.. but a case where they can earn money if they work bit hard.

What should be done? Encouraged or discouraged?