bowing for coins ...
" ... A thin man not really that old, 50 more or less, he looked fine physically and didn't appear to be suffering from any serious diseases that prevented him from finding a proper job other than begging on a busy footbridge. Passers-by obviously didn't pay too much attention to him and weren't impressed by his mechanical bowing. As far as I could see, people hardly stopped to give him anything ... He might have his justification or reasons behind but I felt deeply sorry for his choosing this embarrassing way of living."
This was my commentary when this series was posted on the Forum. I doubt whether I would write very differently even if I knew this series would stir up so much response, friendly and unfriendly. Perhaps I might add that I actually met this man (who was behaving pretty normally) on some different occasions; he's chatting with his friends before he started his 'bowing for coins' the other afternoon ...
When questioned about my meaning of a "proper job", I answered,
"... I am not a complicated man and hope I have not taken it too simple - a proper job to me is one which is doing good and of value to oneself, the others and probably the society ... If you have seen some of my previous street photos, you'll know how much I like and respect the man selling flowers in the rain, the old ladies climbing stairs everyday to their needlework stores, the 82 yr old man working 6 days a week on his antique sewing machine ... I am certainly not talking about the financial rewards but the meaning behind the job.
A job can be hard and without much business prospect (that's what I'm now facing myself), it's still giving me the joy to measure myself against all troubles as long as it's offering something good to the ones I'm serving ... That's what I think - a proper and respectable job."
I'm confident I'll walk my talk cause this is my belief; every time I view these pics, they will remind me that persisting will need more courage and faith than giving up. Yet it is this courageous persisting on which one can pride himself and show dignity in front of any obstacles or failures ...
Posted on the FTF 050910:
posted by hugo poon at 10:56 AM
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