**If I was a rickshaw driver,I would have stopped driving the heavy rickshaw in the scorching summer.However,after giving up driving it for daily income,I and my family would have to suffer from low standard of living.I do not have higher education achievement,moreover,my parents almost sold all arable land in order to prepare for my marriage with my present wife.
Now days,my parents are gradually aging,so,they need to be taken care of by me and my wife due to traditional convention.I am worried that my children would die of several common diseases below 5 years old,hence,I have to bring up more children so as to escape the risk of losing all offspring.My wife like me does not have good background,she does everything for our family.
I and my family are living in a slum with quite poor environments around,mosquitoes,polluted water,crowding roads and so on.We do not have any extra income except for a small amount of revenue from self employment in rickshaw driving sector.If I drive my rickshaw faster,I could earn more,so,my big family could have better food and living conditions;On the contrary,if I get sick,I amunable to drive it,then,I feel sad because I have to tell them to eat less.
Under all circumstances,I must drive it in an early morning,and temporarily stop my work at deep night.Whether it is rainy or sunny,I deeply understand that I am an inborn rickshaw driver,I would not drive it any more unless I leave the world.Day by day,I am aware that some people should be pleased to bear the caused sadness,and the other people should be enjoying the given happiness.
I do not have capability to change the society at all,I still consider that many people around me have much worse conditions than me.One day,when I do not earn any one Rupee in my pocket,I also consider to rob someone of belongings even though I really understand it is illegal in a civilized society.When I rob others,policemen would arrest me.
They would send me to a dark jail,naturally,I could not take after my family during imprisonment.When considering this result,I finally prevent myself from thinking it like that.I am just an ordinary man,sometimes,I have to listen to my respected God.
Every day,I sincerely pray to God,repeatedly say to God,”Please give me luck,please let me get more revenue through my hard working,please bless my family ” Nobody really knows if God could understand my language,but I always behave myself in a proper way so as to get more goodness from God.
When I am sick,I intentionally smile to my family despite unbearable pain,I persuade my family not to send me to a hospital for treatment,because I see that the huge cost of treatment will bring my family into vicious poverty trap.At that time,I meditate if we have a national health care system,how exciting it is!
I do not need to worry about any type of disease,just because all expenditures would be burned by our government.I as a common people,prefer to have a big government to provide series of public goods and services for the society.However,I was ever told that corruption in our bureaucratic machine is quite prevailing,therefore,big government may not be beneficial for poor people.
I have been thinking about social mobility in our society,because it shows how an individual moves from one level to another level in our human made social pyramid.Disappointingly,my grandpa is a rickshaw driver,my father is also a rickshaw driver,but today,I do not get rid of the trap.
I am afraid that my children would be highly likely to take my current position,hence,poverty trap entangles us.I doubt that I am merely a special example,so,I take more samples around me as examples.Analysis reminds me that the society is relatively static,family background is the most important factor to decide one individual’s future development.
When I get this conclusion,I seem to have lost my soul.Nothing could inspire me to continue riding my rickshaw,therefore,I ride it slowly.When my revenue could not cover all expenditures,I am aware of my mistake.It seems that no choice is my only choice.The meaning of living for me is to feed my family,I have become a tool for production of goods and services.
I could not have any vision about tomorrow,because repetition of yesterday is my life.Nothing new comes to me,what has been changed is my submission to the brutal and cold society.Every time,I go back to my sweet and warm home,I feel a moment of happiness,eating with my family is the most moving thing.
In the early morning,I secretly and quietly move my tired body out of the comfortable bed,I really hope to accompany my family sligntmore time,but life is not negotiable.Every day,at the same time,in the same place,you could see me passing you slowly,wearing almost same clothes.When passengers play a joke on me:”why you are so punctual?”,I decently reply to them:”Life needs repetition,so we could get my salvation.”
This is my life,I could not choose it,because before I was born,all my life tracks are predetermined.What I should do,what I could do,what I would do is to live well for not only myself,but also others dependent on me.In the scorching summer,as a human being,I also need to drink cold water for metabolism.
When I see cold drinks in refrigerators,I imagine I swim in a pond of mango juice.That feeling is unexpectedly beautiful,even if it is visual and unfeasible.Sometimes,when I suddenly find out a plastic bottle in which several drops of water is visible,I feel pleased to pick it up,then drink it for relaxation.I forget so-called embarrassment,I could do anything I can to save money.
It does not mean I am quite mean for my family,I pay much money to purchase a digital dictionary for my children.What is our family’s hope is to make the best one of our children manage to move upward in future,I bet all my life on him.Education investment on children is my approach to success,I could let all members in the family to serve the most brilliant one.
I frankly disclose that I and my wife are not willing to exploit other children’s education opportunities,but real life controls us.I live like a slave,life is my owner,I am no different from animals,all my decisions are made by my life instead of me.I do not want to drive the rickshaw at all,I want to live in an AC room,I would like to drink the best beer,I am looking forward to owning countless money.
However,all rights of thinking about them have been exploited,I am a man without wants and ideas.What I have is to give my children a hope to his promising future.All in all,I prefer to be a slave of my children on condition that they could emancipate themselves.As a rickshaw driver,I do not have ability to negotiate with my guest in terms of price of transportation.My service sector is a perfectly competitive market,so,I have to compete with other drivers on quality,speed,price,etc.
Moreover,autos have higher speed,lower price,better quality,we are in a disadvantageous place.When my guest bargains with me,I have to accept his price,even though I know I will start a hard task.I am young enough,I could drive it faster,so,I could have more revenue.Although I do not hassle with my guest,I bargain with myself to accept my guest price.
It is likely that when I am humble to do something good,my guest would be willing to pay me more in exchange of my hard working.When no guest comes to my rickshaw,I park it in front of crowding road.I walk back and forth to look forward to there being a guest,sometimes,I push it left and right to attract my potential guest.
I do not have phone,regardless to say music,what I have is my free nature.Birds are my friends,trees are my brothers,they show their kindness and generosity to me.When I am thirsty,I drink pure water in a small stream,leaves are my glasses.I do have nothing,but I indeed have anything.When I empty myself,I own the whole nature.
If I was a rickshaw driver,I just want to live well for my family!
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