i need a place to think about the notion of “beggars can’t be choosers” .

should comfort and choice be locked behind financial stability? i don’t think so, yet i’ve also been a proponent of “beggars can’t be choosers” for a while now without even realizing what kind of society this mentality creates.

during my first few yrs of college when i didn’t have any experience in the corporate world , i didn’t consider my preferences, values, or alignment with companies. i simply took whatever i was presented with and broadened my horizons in this way. but now that i think more about the why, i think fundamentally it was because i regarded myself as a “beggar” . why did i do this? what does it mean to be a “beggar” in this scenario?

what makes me want to tackle this problem even more is the disrespect that unhoused ppl face and dehumanization they experience. just because someone is unhoused, does that mean they shouldn’t have preferences? they shouldn’t have the choice for something better? they shouldn’t be able to say no to things? i don’t think this is right.

so anyways idk where this writing is going but i started this one to help me think through how i want to think about “beggars can’t be choosers” moving forward in my life.