Maybe we are all only ever a month away from homeless.
The photo I took in Bangkok near Khaosan road.
That particular road they sleep on gives away free food at night.
100's queue for it, seen it, watched it, walked through it. Those homeless people are very pleasant, they move aside and invite you a clear path to walk on by.
I did give every day to some, but there are so many it is impossible to fund them/sponsor them all.
My friend in England...
He now lives in a hostel in Leicester UK and had a very good life before it all turned upside down last November. He is a fellow engineer and was employed, and also buying his house via a mortgage too.
He lost his job, wife, bikes, car and house. Plus children.
As I understand from his fb timeline, he lived in a tent in a tree, yes a tree for a while, before a hostel took him in!
Now this got me to thinking about what I have seen.
If I take Poland as an example, I have not seen any homeless people here as yet, and if I take Bali as an example, there were none there too, but why?
Well here nobody seems left behind and all people are housed.
In Bali the natives build their own homes anywhere they can out of bamboo or any wood they can find.
But in Thailand you cannot, likewise the UK.
If all it takes is losing your job to lose your house, car, motorbikes and all belongings, is that a democracy? Answers below as always...
Now I know something about how things can change and fast for the worst, it has for me now.
Ebay always kept me ticking over with sales, but no more now, as they add 25% VAT to my sales, and even my postage, so I closed that down last week.
I had enough of the complaints by potential buyers, they do not understand it is not me adding £'s to my sales.
For instance, if I listed an item for £65, ebay bumped the price up to £95 and only gave me the £65 minus 15%. Same with postage.
Also Brexit was a killer, I was shipping motorbikes to the UK, but now it is next to impossible to do it and make a living.
To ship a bike now involves paying an agent here and in the UK, to inform customs that the item is arriving, £300 plus some.
Then the duty on the item is 25% making a cheap bike an expensive bike, that also then needs registering (£55) plus dating (£50) a MOT or government yearly review (£40) and bam, that cheap bike just cost as much or more than a brand new Chinese moped.
I am not worried though, where there is a will there is a way, and Facebook sales are free and keep me ticking over, as do loyal customers that have bought many parts off me.
I set myself up with a lot of motorbikes, millions of parts too, so no matter what - even if I scrap them, I have earnings when I need it.
So the moral of the story is? Always have a back up plan, and never put all your eggs in one basket.
Have a superb weekend, and keep on smiling, you only live once.
Curated by @ultravioletmag
Thank you kindly.
well, my whole life seems to be build around some back up plans, hehe but hell that teaches me how to survive, sad to hear the story of your friend over there in the UK.
I guess there is a lot of people like him everywhere in our modern world full of greedyness, and when one enters in the credit loop yes then with the smallest impact in ones life the dominos begin to fall and with them the whole orderly life.
We all have to avoid to come to that point, because many will not come back to normal, I know that because I helped a lot of peeps in that situations but have realized that the majority of them was broken with their mindset and not willing or able to get that fixed and done even with help from outside they couldn´t manage to come back to the stage they had reached before.
"when one enters in the credit loop"
And that part of that statement is the defining point, never take CREDIT as it has the banking systems "charges" named "interest" that is not in our interest!
...absolutely not in our interest, wasting of money if you ask me ;)
We are the only ones out of all life on this Earth that has to pay to live😡 Hope you're friend can make a path ahead to improving his lot.
Sorting him out by shipping some bikes and parts, I will get him back on his feet, hope one day Karma sorts me out, when and if I need it.
A back up plan is a must. Preferably more than one 👍
Indeed, superb comment.
I'm sorry to hear about your homeless friend. It's inspiring that you have reached out to help them, and it speaks to your kindness and compassion. It must be difficult to watch someone suffer and endure such hardship, but I admire your perseverance in trying to make a positive difference in this situation. Thank you for bringing attention to the issue of homelessness and being a voice for those who don't have one.
Thank you new friend, for a superb comment.
Different story, my buddy lost his job and is not an addict, and the Thai people just could not afford the cost of living, coming to a town near you soon, with inflation.
isn't it funny how some forgotten individuals are considered "good" and some are considered "bad"
Indeed, and intriguing thought.
always blame the individual for systemic failures