Beyond

In the UK , I saw lots of beggars in the street. Well, in Taiwan we also can find plenty of beggars in the street--my impression of them is that most of them are old, weak, disabled people or children. However, most of the beggars I saw in the UK were relatively
healthy-looking adult males. They didn’t look as dirty as Taiwanese beggars, and they sat on the street with a blanket or sleeping bag. Sometimes, the beggars had a dog. I guess maybe the dog keeps them warm in the winter. Undoubtedly, the dog also looks healthy and pretty cute.
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One day when I passed a beggar in the morning, I couldn’t believe what I saw: the beggar was eating a McDonald’s breakfast with a cup of hot coffee! Because the cost of living in London is pretty high, McDonald’s meals were a luxury for me. I just ate some toast with milk for my breakfast. How could a beggar afford McDonald’s?!

On another day, I passed the same beggar again in the evening. Surprisingly, he had finished for the day. He packed up his sleeping bag and walked away with his friend. They seemed to be discussing where they could find something to drink.

Well, my friend told me that beggars can get money from the government. So, the beggars think they have a pretty nice job. They can make money not only from people’s compassion, but also from the government.

Actually, I really can’t understand. They’re not disabled, so why do they prefer being a beggar rather than working at a proper job? Don’t they have a sense of self-respect? Apart from that, I’m wondering why the government doesn’t have/create some initiatives to help them find a job instead of handing out money to them.
(WRITEN IN SPOKEN ENGLISH)