Begging, Crime and Prostitution: Essay Sample on Understanding the Needs of the Needy

Introduction

The needy in society has always been there since time immemorial. All communities across the world have people who live in abject poverty and some resorted to various ways of earning a living. While some get involved in tough manual jobs, others have decided to resort to begging and asking for aid from strangers on the streets. Poverty can lead people into crime such as robbing others, engaging in drug selling and distribution as well as prostitution among deviant behaviours. Being needy, however, does not give any person a right to engage in crime or beg others for money and others aids. One question that has been controversial over the years is under what conditions people are obligated to giving monetary assistance to those in need. The most crucial issues are first to understand who a needy person is. People can be needy in different ways, and this will determine whether monetary aid is a necessity, or they can be given help on how to generate their own money.

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On the one hand, people in society are obligated to give monetary aid to the needy. On another, they are not because of the issue of charity and Justice as discussed by Philosopher Jan Narveson. The philosopher indicates that one can give out of charity or Justice, and he explains that Charity is giving out of the heart and voluntarily while giving out of justices is when circumstances force a person. He, however, reveals that one can give not out of charity. Still, because they are compelled, for instance, he states "people are always compelled to do good for others especially our government, which taxes us in order benefit the poor, educate the uneducated and so on"(Narveson 163). In support of the philosopher's argument under no condition are people obligated to give monetary aid to the needy people? When needy people are given financial assistance, they become used to such routine and will always depend on subsidies and grants.

A good example is the third world countries if they are given continuously monetary aid, they will forever lag because instead of putting strategies to eradicate poverty and work on them they will always depend on financial aid. The author explains that aiding such as feeding the starving, is a misguided charity and not a real one. Neverson refers to Garret Hardin defends of not feeding the hungry stating that it will create more problems tomorrow. The same case applies to give monetary aid to the needy because if they are given money today, more numbers will emerge tomorrow, creating more problems and making people get used to the being given monetary aid.

The author brings in the issue of principle and policy, and he explains that helping the needy is an obligation by principle. Still, it is wrong with the system because people should be realistic about situations. Nervason explains that it is sensible for a person to deny themselves pleasure for the sake of helping another. He explains that one can do the charitable acts until they become as weak as the needy people themselves. Nervason says "I am to differ to others in the organization of my activities continually and shall be assailed by guilt whenever I am not bending my energies to the relief of those allegedly less fortunate than I. Benefit others at the expense of yourself and keep doing it until you are as poor and miserable..."(Nervason 168). In this regard, no one is obligated to giving the needy a monetary aid.

In looking at James Rachel's argument on Baby Theresa's issue of an organ transplant, the opposers explain that people should not be used as a means to other's ends and this is in reference to taking Theresa's organs to benefit other children. In this regard, no one is obligated to giving any aid to the needy. It implies that when monetary assistance is given, it will be using one person's means to other individuals end. In looking at Charity and justice times, people are compelled to provide for instance by the government through taxes and this wrong because the money is used to help those who are in need by using the means of others. When people give, they should not be forced or put in a situation that will make them without willingness.

Another rationale as to why no one is obligated to giving monetary aid to the poor is that of the principle of being dragged behind like in the scenario of spaceship ethics. When people decide to help the needy with monetary aid it implies that they are giving up their stability to the needy and after some time they will also be in the same situation as the needy people. Peter Singer, in his explanation against helping the poor, refers to Garret Hardin principle on the harsh ethics of the lifeboat. He states "The harsh ethics of the lifeboat become even harsher when we consider the creative differences between the rich nations and the developing nations. The people inside the lifeboats are doubling in numbers every 87 years; those swimming around outside are doubling, on the average, every 35 years, more than twice as fast as the rich. And since the world's resources are dwindling, the difference in prosperity between the rich and the poor can only increase" (Singer 8). It is in this regard that no one is obligated into helping the poor because the helpers will eventually sink their financial lifeboats, and they will all be in poverty.

Everyone should work hard for their resources and also plan wisely so that they do not get into poverty. A typical scenario that Singer uses is that of America, which is considered as one of the wealthiest nations in the world. However, he explains that America is being exploited by immigrants and also through grants that are given to the developing nations in terms of monetary aid. The developing countries need to work hard for their resource accumulation.

The developing countries multiply faster than the rich, and in this regard, the wealthy nation, which gives monetary aids, will be exploited at the expense of being obligated to help. Singer explains that the developing countries need to plan their reproduction to have enough resources to cater for their needs and not being dependent on others for aid. The author explains that if the wealthy continue to help the needy, then they will plunge into a state, he calls the tragedy of the commons. He gives an example by stating "If a pasture becomes a commons open to all, the right of each to use it may not be matched by a corresponding responsibility to protect it. Asking everyone to use it with discretion will hardly do, for the considerate herdsman who refrains from overloading the commons suffers more than a selfish one who says his needs are greater. If everyone restrained himself, all would be well; but it takes only one less than everyone to ruin a system of voluntary restraint" (Singer 2). From the quotes, Singer implies that everyone should work hard in generating resources and taking care of them in an appropriate way. In this regard, the needy should also play a role in resource generation so that it is not only the wealthy that can give, and there will be a balanced life with less needy people.

On the contrary, human beings are obligated to helping the needy people because they live among them in the society and the type of indigent people that should be supported are those that are disabled in different ways and are not able to do any work. It is, however, not an excuse for not working towards resource multiplication.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is essential to note that no one is obligated to giving monetary aid to the needy people eventually both the giver and the recipient will be reduced. The space ship ethics by Garret are a true reflection of helping others and eventually getting stuck in scarcity. Everyone should guard their own space so that they are not pulled down.

References

Narveson Jan. "Feeding the Hungry." Applied Ethics: A Multicultural Approach (2017): 142.

Rachels, James. The elements of moral philosophy retrieved from https://vulms.vu.edu.pk/Courses/ETH202/Downloads/The%20Elements%20of%20Moral%20Philosophy.pdf

Singer, Peter. "The Singer solution to world poverty." The New York Times Magazine 5.September (1999): 60-63.