Of what value are blessings?
Even in the undignified, lowly act of begging, the beggars in Mumbai bring in the dignified act of applying thought. They constantly invent creative strategies to maximize earnings. Some of them are pure artists. And when a tactic completely loses impact they re-invent. In the matter of giving alms, I am like almost everyone else. I sometime bother to dig into my coin pouch and pull out a coin to place in their bowl or hand. I don't bother at other times. It is totally random. I think it depends on my moods. When i am irritated, I nod my head. When I am in a good mood, I become generous. There are times when I am really hoping for something good to happen, then too I get generous - hoping, that in some cosmic way, my generosity to the beggar would convert into a generosity towards me by the forces. One school of thought says that giving money to beggars encourages begging and that it prevents these people from looking for jobs. I never got that honestly. I don't think beggars c