Cultural attitudes towards poverty.

 

"There but for the grace of God, go I." You never really know what's round the corner, and a catastrophe like homelessness, could hit any of us at any time. Most of us, are just a wage away from the gutter. The world can be lonely place for somebody who's got nothing.

Some English people look down their nose at the destitute and are contemptuous towards them. They're a bit like Dickens's character, John Podsnap, in his novel 'Our Mutual Friend'. Like Podsnap, they believe that Britain is the best of all countries in the world and that nobody who lives here could really be poor, hungry, or destitute, because there's so much help available.

I believe the Spaniards see things rather differently. Spanish law doesn't make begging in public places, or homelessness, a criminal offence, but there are prohibitions against using children and the disabled to beg. Perhaps, for both cultural and religious reasons, the Spaniards seem to think that in this life, you should show some compassion and kindliness towards the less fortunate, because it pleases God and may do you some good in the afterlife. The Bible command us to give generously to the poor and that generosity yields an amazing crop. Luke 6:38 says: "Give and it will be given to you."

Russian peasants shared a similar belief. They would often give bread rolls to chained convicts being transported on the barges to Siberia. I'm not sure that the Spaniard's have such a thing as the "Benefit Scrounger" or the "Sturdy Beggar", unless it refers to politicians.

The English travel writer, Richard Ford, wrote in 1840, that when he enquired of Spaniards where brigands hid, he was frequently told that, "It was not on the road that they were most likely to be found, but in the confessional boxes, the lawyer's offices, and still more, in the bureaux of government."

I was once having a drink in a pub with a Spaniard that I know, who now lives in England. He originates from Andalusia, traditional Spain. He ordered a meal consisting of scampi and when he got the meal, he asked me if I wanted to take something off his plate. I thanked him, but told him I had already eaten before I left the house. What struck me, is that my Spanish friend, couldn't eat that meal without offering me some of it, off his plate, which I thought was a nice gesture and to his credit. I once asked him what he thought of the English social way of life, and without a second thought, he replied that we didn't have one.

What I think he meant by this, is the lack of a communal or community way of life. It's highly unlikely that a Spaniard won't know who his neighbours are and I don't think they care much for eating or drinking on their own. They generally socialise with neighbours, family or friends. The Spanish have the longest average life span of any country in Europe. They’re also said to be the biggest users of cocaine.