Sources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beggars_Badges

http://gvnet.com/streetchildren/Thailand.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Begging

http://goseasia.about.com/od/travelplanning/tp/southeast_asia_scams.htm

http://www.unicef.org/thailand/reallives_6619.html

http://www.humantrafficking.org/updates/538

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/southeastasia/view/385961/1/.html

http://www.humantrafficking.org/updates/91

http://www.women-on-the-road.com/beggars-bangkok.html

http://tikikiki.com/2010/09/beggars-in-thailand%E2%80%94what%E2%80%99s-the-real-story/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_children_in_Thailand

http://voices.yahoo.com/giving-money-beggars-thailand-you-5458237.html

http://www.amazon.com/Buddhas-Brain-Practical-Neuroscience-Happiness/dp/1572246952

Additional sources concern the my Professor, the wonderful Thai tour guide, and conversations among many addicts in Thailand.

The Ugly

In terms of my analysis, I want to draw your attention back to the themes of my global seminar: Addiction, Power, and Buddhism.

How does begging relate to all three areas?

Let’s begin this analysis with Addiction. How does Addiction play a role in begging?

Addiction can be seen in three parts: 1) from the mafia perspective, 2) parents perspective, and 3) the beggar’s perspective.

Actually, let me be a bit clearer. Addiction is seen indirectly in begging when it pertains to the gang organizations. Although it’s fair to say that gangsters are also addicted to the substances that they market, in referencing the movie American Gangster as well as possibly Khun Sa (I say possibly because I’m not 100% sure that I’m recalling it correctly, but Khun Sa, although becoming a drug dealer and marketer himself, he did not become addicted to the narcotics he sold), the higher ranking gangsters were not addicted to the drugs themselves. However, it’s noted that it’s only my assumption, and that those gangsters may as well have been addicted.

However, continuing on!

The gang organizations profit from making other people addicted. That is, they make populations of people (typically working class to poor families) addicted to the narcotics they sold. They do so especially by setting up situations that target individual and societal vulnerabilities. One of the addicts that we spoke to at the Drug  Rehabilitation Center mentioned that the drug Yaba was so easy to obtain that all she had to do was walk a block down the street. In addition, neither she nor her friends knew of the negative effects of Yaba. No one told her – it’s like us and Advil (common); she even took Yaba during her pregnancy terms and still insist that Yaba had no effect on her children albeit having ingested Yaba daily.

How does a gang organization promote addiction then? They create hotspots, a region in which to conduct their business. They take advantage of individuals as well as families that are in need of help. They use under-handed techniques, threats, and violence to promote their business. Yaba would be introduced to these populations through various means. An example would be business owners supplying Yaba and then forcing the workers to purchase the Yaba to continue their employment. Another example pertains to spreading it socially – embellishing Yaba to be a “hip” substance. Another quote by the same addict at Drug Rehabilitation Center supports this comment: she mentions how her addiction to Yaba was a result of social events – that is she took Yaba because of her friends.

What I’m trying to say here is once again, the gang organizations elicit addiction through both direct and indirect means. As it pertains to the elderly and children beggars, the gangsters can very well take advantage of vulnerable populations such as those beggars quite easily. In addition to the violence enacted onto the beggars by the gangster, there is also the possibility that these beggars are in that situation due to their addiction with narcotics as well. However, sometimes it’s difficult to tell what came first: their addiction or the violence. I always give the benefit of the doubt to the individuals and believe that the violence came first. The gang organizations solicit addiction, and due to the very nature of addiction, the cycle repeats itself.

I’m not sure what to say about the parent’s perspective to be honest. Those who rent/sell their children off are despicable (Noting that this perspective is from those who rent/sell their children and not those who have had their children kidnapped). Again, I don’t know their family situation – it could be that they themselves had an ethical reason to do so (?). An example of this could pertain to their family not being able to support the child. I mean it isn’t ethical, but it’s certainly something the parents thought would have been the best for themselves. However, seriously? Selling your children to slavery and labor is messed up – it’s the opposite version of letting your children becoming a monk because you couldn’t support them – come on… However, we can also pin this on the gang organizations as well, such as the parents were so indebted to the gangsters that to spare their lives, they had to give up their children (sounds like a good movie plot right?). Or, as it pertains to addiction, the parents were addicted to substances and sold their children to obtain more narcotics. This last theory reflects addiction quite well in my opinion. Your judgment becomes impaired, your life spirals down, and the only thing you could think of is when and how you can satiate your addiction and hit another one up.

I’ve mentioned the beggar’s perspective by accident when talking about the gangsters. Therefore, I’ll do a brief reiteration: these beggars are in this situation (constantly on the streets begging) because this is the only way they can earn enough to satiate their addiction. They cannot get jobs anywhere else – not that they know how to. This is truer of the elderly beggars than children beggars, however with how overpowering an addiction seems to be, I won’t be quite as shocked if children were susceptible to this scenario as well.

Overall, we spoke about positive valence as well as negative ones. Buddha’s Brain mentioned the carrot and the stick. How do these terms correspond with addiction? We see addiction change brain chemistry; we see addiction as a relatively new conflict that bypasses our currently evolved defense mechanisms. That is, the narcotics these days are as addicting as they are toxic. Although we tend to avoid toxic substances (stick), if they change our body chemistry and elicit a positive valence (carrot: including perceptions and actual experience), then addiction becomes a hard foe to combat. Addiction itself becomes a weapon, used by individuals against other individuals.

The next part of this analysis concerns Buddhism. I don’t have much to say about Buddhism because I have trouble finding relations that I can explain. However, I hope the explanation I do have makes sense!

One of the things I wanted to address using Buddhism is that begging shouldn’t always be viewed in bad connotations. One form of begging that is a culturally accepted norm/practice in Thailand seems to be Alms Giving, which is done by Buddhist monk each morning. In return for receiving food from the townsfolk, the monks will bless the people with a prayer. This form of begging seems to be so normative that most people treat it as a duty – a duty to feed the monks. In addition, some people have turned it into a business. For example, at the place where we students saw Alms Giving in action, there were stands with sellers selling items to give to the monks. You may interpret this however you want, but I find this kind of ironic – that people can make a business out of almost everything as long as there is a demand.

Now really, how does Buddhism relate to begging? Buddhism promotes equanimity as well as empathy for every individual. That is, Buddhism teaches those who follow it to have compassion for each other – those that too much as well as those that do not have enough. This could be one of many explanations as to why begging is still so prominent. This is an aspect that gang organizations could be targeting as well. The gangsters understand Buddhism’s compassion – therefore, to elicit more of this compassion, the gangsters organize situations in which compassion could be given. I want to reiterate the question: “Are you actually helping, or are you hindering?” If compassion is given and justified, then compassion will continue. However, I just imagine how if compassion is given and wasn’t justified (that someone gave money only to find out that the money isn’t going to where they had originally thought), then what happens to that compassion? This reminds me of the conversation that our professor had with us on the train, in which he proposed: “How does Buddhism relate with Addiction? Can it coexist?” or something along those lines. Is Buddhism then really detrimental to the begging plea?  I argue that it’s not, but some people can argue that it is. The reason being is that Buddhism doesn’t only elicit compassion. The faith in Buddhism and the practices also play a role in addiction. Buddhism elicits morals and values that counteract the violence of gang organizations, and the ill-will that narcotics has on each individual. Addiction is part of human nature; it’s a (biological) mechanism that influences each individual. The reason addiction is so prominent is once again, it is so relatively new. This share similarities with Buddhism as Buddhism itself is “relatively” new as well. To clarify, since the creation of Buddhism (even before that, as the practices of Buddhism may have been practiced earlier), Buddhism has been one of the sources that nullify forms of addiction. The implication here is that narcotics have evolved as well to be more addicting, more toxic, and more available. This is why Buddhism is coexisting with addiction – it tries continually to counteract it, but it’s like going against the flow of the river (evolved biological mechanisms).

Does Buddhism succeed? I’m sure it does, as well as fail. It’s a case by case analysis because individuals are all unique in how they respond to addiction as well as Buddhism practices. What I can say for sure is that there is some connection between one of the Buddhism practice, meditation, and the quelling of addiction. Meditation promotes self-awareness of the present, that is, meditation promotes mindfulness. I’ve heard that monks, who have meditated for years are able to even control their metabolism. This hints at the theory that through obtaining mindfulness, one is able to change their body chemistry as well. This also relates back to Buddha’s brain in how it mentions that positive as well as negative thoughts can even shape the brain. Collecting together these fragments of ideas, I argue that meditation can help addiction not through direct physical means, but by encouraging the addict to realize their addiction, quell their withdrawal symptoms, and finally satiate their fixation.

The last part of my analysis concerns the topic of Power. How Power structures influence the state of Beggars. I have already mentioned some, such as the lack of retirement programs available to aid the elderly, as well as the regulations around the borders of Thailand. In addition, power structures that differ from the government are found in the gang organizations that conflict with them.

However, how does Power really come into effect when it comes to Beggars?

We can look at how beggars become beggars. Could the social structure of Thailand be responsible for the constant begging by the elderly and children? I don’t have the answer to that – I wish I did, as in I wish I was more involved and understood politics more. However, if you can recall what I typed about in my first blog post, I argue that there is some aspect of hegemony present that results in a business made up of a vulnerable population; that how the elite and those with money (thus power) act in a sense contribute to the poverty population. I see a social hierarchy similar to ones in the United States, especially in Bangkok.

Is Thailand also structured so that the elites have all the say in the system – even within the government? I understand that Thailand has a King and Queen, however, like with the Queen of England, their true political power is pretty much nothing. I argue that Thailand is also structured with elites. My reasoning is because of how fast it is globalizing. The connection here is that, for Thailand to globalize so quickly, there has to be people in high places that want profit and success. Yet to obtain that profit and success, many people would have to be trampled on. This is how I see Power. I see Power as a means of strength and control, be it over other individuals, environment, or the government system itself. I see individuals abusing such power, as well as supporting power in other aspects (either assisting gang organizations, or enacting programs that are detrimental to society and its civilians).

However, not all of it is oppression, or negative. Power can also be utilized in terms of good (corny, but bear with me). For example, Thailand now, in an effort to stop the growth and rampage of the gang organizations are requiring beggar badges (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beggars_Badges; http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/southeastasia/view/385961/1/.html). What these badges do is that they have legitimate beggars (see above) register with the Thai government to receive permits to beg. According to the Channelnewasia.com, nearly 80% of Thai people give money to beggars. In doing so, the Thai government hopes to deter and crack down on criminal rings that exploit beggars. This is mainly for the elderly it seems, and that eligibility might be more subjective than planned. However, with this beggar badge, those approved would be allowed to beg at certain locations during a certain time of day. This emphasizes still, Thailand’s unhappiness with beggars.

As for the children beggars, Thailand does have some regulations in effect that can counteract further exploitation. One prime example is that Thailand provides free schooling for children under age 12. Furthermore, Thailand further supports monk schools for children whose parents cannot support them beyond age 12. Therefore, with this knowledge in mind, one can identify (easier), which children are subjected to a life of begging. For more travelers’ knowledge, in case you yourself would like to venture throughout Thailand as well is that if you do encounter a child begging on the street, take notice of their appearance. If they look under age 12, are tanner than most of the individuals around them, and are dressed even dirtier than the setting calls for, then they might be child beggars under the control of gang organizations!

Therefore, as you can see Power can be utilized in two ways: for good or misused for evil (own personal gains). This is where I’ll be concluding my blog. In short, the state of begging in Thailand nowadays (in the 21^st century) is progressively better than the past. It’s not because of gangs and gang organization lacking in their duties to elicit terror and violence, but because of the increased supervision by the Thai government over matters such as begging. We still see begging, and we’ll probably continue to see begging years and years into the future. However, begging has evolved because individuals and societies also have evolved.

Nonetheless, to end this blog, I want to reiterate the concepts of Addiction, Power, and Buddhism. These themes, I argue, are all connected to the state of Beggars either directly (as seen in Addiction and Buddhism), to indirectly (through Power). These themes also seem to be coexisting through many sources, and if I dare say, are in a cycle. We see that Power plays a role in Addiction and that Addiction plays a role in Buddhism and Power. Therefore, what does it mean to be a beggar? What does it mean to beg?

It means to be influenced by psycho – social – and biological mechanisms and phenomenon directly or indirectly.

The Bad

So this is where I get even more excited about this blog because now I can introduce you all to the sad world of children as well as elderly beggars. I was very surprised in my researching to discover how the more research I did, the more human-trafficking came up. Almost all of the sources I found online connected both children and elderly begging to be a mafia-related industry (tikikiki.com, humantrafficking.org, humantrafficking.org, unicef.org). However, before we get into that cash crop, I also would like to mention other discrepancies that might lead children and the elderly to reside on the streets. Children end up on the street of Thailand for many reasons: including poverty, domestic violence, and economic crises to list a few. With that being said, domestic violence and abuse are the leading cause of homelessness in children (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_children_in_Thailand).

As for the elderly, it’s quite unfortunate, but Thailand does not support programs such as social security or retirement plans. Many of the elderly beggars are presumably retired from a life of working poor. Therefore, because they barely made enough money to support themselves, they were not able to save money for their old age.  Thus for many, if they don’t beg, they don’t eat and they die (Cassandra James, Voices.yahoo.com).

Alright, now we’re onto the cash crop of this project: the causes of children beggars. A recent U.S. Department study reported an estimated 20,000 children on the street of Thailand’s major urban centres (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_children_in_Thailand). In addition, the population is not just Thai. Included in the statistics are also children of Khmer, Burmese, Laos, and Vietnamese descent. So the question you should ask now is: “Why are children of different ethnicities populating the streets of Thailand? The children are typically seen to be very grimy and grubby, with appearance that represents homelessness. That is, most of their clothes are torn or dirtied, there are no clear signs that they have received hygiene care within the last couple of days, and if they seem malnourished. These children are a result of the porous borders between Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar (Our Golden Triangle adventures in a nutshell). Gangsters and other related mafia-members can easily transport children from one country to another. What we usually hear are case reports of mafia members either kidnapping children to force them to beg, or they receive children in return for economic compensation to the children’s’ parents. These children are faced with many serious risks and challenges. While mainly begging, organized gangs also force the children to sell many miscellaneous items. Working conditions are always poor (they are given a place to sleep and food to eat – but barely enough to survive). Many of the child beggars have to turn in their earnings to the mafia as well, receiving only about 20-30 baht for their day’s work. However, that is information for kidnapped children.

For those whose parents sold them off:

These children are equally unfortunate even though they are able to remain in contact with their parents. Although occurrence is more typical of families from Cambodia and Burma, Thailand also has cases in which parents barter with brokers from mafia; the parents that barter typically will sell their children into labor for the mafia-run organizations as well as begging. This trend is more apparent in poor families. However, we also see that not every poor family would sell their children. Brokers belonging to the mafia also kidnap these children (as mentioned in earlier paragraphs) as well.

According to the Mirror Foundation (As quoted in Humantrafficking.org), brokers typically offer parents 3,000 to 7,000 baht-a-month to either rent out or buy the children. Wanted children are those who can elicit the most pity: typically from infants to 10-year-olds.  These children (Like those who are kidnapped) are sent to popular tourist areas and forced to participate in labor intensive activities, ranging from begging to selling flowers, to even sexual activities (Humantrafficking.org). Another noteworthy amount of information to mention is that handlers are almost always around monitoring the children. They disguise themselves as small-business owners, for example the food vendors seen almost everywhere in Thailand.

Lastly, in relation to gangs, the elderly are victims as well. As mentioned before, Thailand does not provide social security or other money assistance programs to the elderly in Thailand. Therefore, the elderly, who are poverty-stricken in some cases, are taken advantage of by gangsters. These elderly people are also expected to participate in begging like the children do – and many times receive the same forms of treatment and compensation. Be it children or the elderly, seeing those on the streets in terrible conditions should elicit compassion among everyone – exactly what the gang organizations hope to bring about.

This is the cut-off for the summary. It was a long one, but now begins my analysis. I hope it makes sense and won’t disappoint!

The Good

Good day ladies and gents.

In this blog post, I want to introduce to you all to my independent project: “Please, sir, I want some more.” Please pat yourself on the back if you were able to discern the title of my project. It is indeed a quote from Oliver Twist, a classic written by Charles Dickens. Within the scene that the quote is said, Oliver Twist is begging for more food. That is, his hypothalamus, the hunger regulation area of his brain is sending and receiving signals that are informing him that he is still hungry. After knowing this, the reward system in his brain (Nucleus Accumben, Substantia Nigra, and so on) thus motivates him to ask for more food – gambling in hopes that the first time he asks will be successful.

Why would I do a 180 and quote Oliver Twist some of you may ask, my answer for you lies in Oliver’s actions: Oliver begs for food – and he does so even though the chances that he will receive seconds are quite slim.

What is begging?

Wikipedia (I know, but Wikipedia is getting quite scholarly) defines begging as a verb that means to entreat earnestly, implore, and supplicate. It is an act that occurs for the purpose of securing a material benefit in the form of a gift, donation or charitable donation. As mentioned before, begging is an act for the purpose of securing a material benefit, therefore begging can be a means to receive both tangible and intangible rewards: money, cigarettes, alcohol, or favors.

Now if you made it through all those words, I’m grateful. However, it is in this paragraph that I clarify what my project is truly about. I want to talk about the state of begging as it applies to the theme of my global seminar of the Psychology of Addiction, Power, and Buddhism. More specifically, I want to talk about begging in Thailand. In doing so, I hope to cover aspects of begging as it remains relevant to the three central themes of this seminar. I want to talk about the causes and sources for begging in Thailand, that is what are the reasons for begging, and what social structures are at play that results in people (adolescents – elderly) begging. In addition, I want to further other forms of begging that is not looked down upon (at least within Thailand), such as Alms giving, an action performed by respected Buddhist monks. Lastly, I want to explore the future of beggars – as in as societies progress further, what will happen to beggars? Examples of ideas that bounce off this question pertains to: “What will happen to beggars? What will the government do to help beggars? If crime rate decreases, will there be fewer beggars (especially child beggars) and many more.”  Again, I want to remind you that although my topic is on begging, I will be focusing on begging as it pertains to adolescents and the elderly.

Alright, so let’s start this word expedition with a more detail description.

When you see a beggar (for the sake of our project) in Thailand, should you give them money? I mean especially coming from such a liberal state such as Minnesota. It appeals to our humanitarian identity. However, we have to stop and consider: are we really helping? Or are we hindering? Although there are homeless people worldwide, beggars in Thailand seem more pitiful compared to the rest. Why is this? Are not all homeless people the same? Don’t they all need our help?

The answer to this question is yes, however you have to look beyond the surface appearance of every situation. I realize that by making an assumption, I’m making an ass out of you and me (sorry for swearing), but the truth of the matter is, I can only make assumptions. A student on a global seminar can only do so much. With that being said, I realize that there are what I’m terming in this blog: legitimate beggars. These are beggars that beg for reasons originating from unemployment, economic recession, or other social factors that hinder them from their original state (such as disability that is mental, physical, or both). I understand this definition is quite loose in that it is imperfect, but in consideration to what I want to continue to say, I hope you will be able to bear with it for the meantime.

However, there are also illegitimate beggars. Again, there is no direct source that supports this as fact apart from possibly the government organizations. Nonetheless, there is still a collective traveler and local experience. That is, both locals and travelers of a nation have experienced either first-hand or have been connected to a beggar scam. What a beggar scam incorporates is a person that entreats material goods by posing as a legitimate beggar. However, it is in fact a false identity, and that they are not as disabled as they appear to be. Sources such as Goseasia.com, Voices.yahoo.com, and women-on-the-road.com have collectively mentioned a plethora of possibilities that distinguish situations as scams. Such examples when de-veiled reveal the beggar to actually not be disabled, are lying about their background and life story, and are forced to beg by higher ranking sources, and so on. If you have ever watched Slum dog Millionaire (or well, even have been “scammed” yourself), then you might understand the point I’m trying to get across.

Drunk of Mindfulness

Warning (Second post, read first post first)

Again, why is this important? Why is meditation important and how is it related to Buddhism?

To be self-aware is a task that many people have a difficult time doing. Almost all of the time, it's not because individuals are unable to be self-aware. Instead, it's because almost everything in our lives are automatic. We don't take time to appreciate things - we don't take time to sit and understand our environment. Our brain is always trying to recap what happened in the past (Buddha's Brain) even though life passes in a blink of an eye.

So then what does being mindful mean? Being mindful means to clear your mind of unnecessary thoughts and to focus on the present. It's almost like a therapeutic solution to an intangible problem. By focusing on the present, you remove the distress elicited by past events as well as future events. This is healthy for you. Your brain becomes much more plastic (Also mentioned in Buddha's Brain), the positive influences shape your brain as well as negative influences. Therefore, by becoming mindful, you respect not only yourself, but the people and the environment around you.

Let's talk about Meditation Baby, Let's talk about you and me

Why hello there folks.

The topic this week will be about meditation. And I can't wait to talk about it.

So this blog will be about meditation and Buddhism - at least hopefully. If I don't present it right, then I apologize, but I'm stoked to share with you all what I learned this week.

Before that however, please get into the mood of my blog by listening to this song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Azb28hq75Jc

Alright, so to begin my blog, I want to remind you of my previous question about meditation: "Can we meditate anywhere?" To which according to the monks at Wat Dui Suthep as well as the experiences I've accumulated this week, the answer is a definite yes. The monks at Wat Dui Suthep bestowed much knowledge upon me, well.. at least knowledge that I was awake to listen to. Such examples were the approximately 227 rules that monks have to follow in addition to the five laws that monks cannot break ( Mihir says you can't lie, don't kill, don't steal, no intoxication, and finally no adultery.) However, the information that I paid most attention to was when the monks clarified that meditation wasn't as rigid as I had originally assumed. Instead, meditation is a medium for mindfulness that can be utilized anywhere. According to the monks, you can meditate anywhere, at any time, in any position, and utilizing any method. This was very interesting to me because then this means that I can be mindful in almost everything that I do daily. In addition to what the monks clarified, within class as well as morning meditation, I was also introduced to walking meditation and eating meditation. In walking meditation, I became more aware of the movement my body makes. I felt the strain with each step, and realized how balance could be easily thrown off. Eating meditation further increased my awareness of the movement of my mouth, of the taste of the food, of the sharpness of my teeth and much more. I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed different variations in meditation. Personally, I found sitting meditation to be difficult. I'm not as flexible as I would like to be, however the pain isn't the worst part about it - my mind wanders far too often to remain mindful. However, especially within walking meditation, I was constantly aware of my body, and just my body - nothing else.

Now why is this important you ask? Well, I argue that meditation is a powerful technique (utilized by followers of Buddhism) that counteracts and reduces suffering. However, when we talk about suffering, most people only take note of the extremes of suffering. When I talk about suffering, as mentioned in Buddha's Brain as well, they are the the micro aspects that either instantly elicits suffering, or builds-up over time. For example, a physical suffering may be eating too fast. We know that if we eat too fast, our stomachs will hurt. However, although this knowledge is within us, many people (when hungry) will still eat as fast as they can, and will only realize the negative consequences when it finally hits them. Now, we can attribute this situation to be a result of a type of society that wants everything finished fast, however, needless to say, it's a bad habit that elicits suffering. But, imagine if we were more mindful of eating. Instead of wolfing everything down, we slowly enjoyed the food. Instead of wolfing everything down, we can feel the texture and savor the taste of everything we eat. Granted that it would take forever to accomplish, however, not only would we not experience the aftermath of indigestion, but we would also learn to appreciate not only the food, but most likely everything else that is associated with the food (the one that prepared it, or where it came from).

End of Friday, Jan 4th Web Blog

:D