It has been said that everyone lives by selling something. In the light of
this statement, teachers live by selling knowledge, philosophers by selling
wisdom and priests by selling spiritual comfort. Though it may be possible to
measure the value of material goods in terms of money, it is extremely
difficult to estimate the true value of the services which people perform for
us. There are times when we would willingly give everything we possess to save
our lives, yet we might grudge paying a surgeon a high fee for offering us
precisely this service. The conditions of society are such that skills have to
be paid for in the same way that goods are paid for at a shop. Everyone has
something to sell.#
Tramps seem to be the only exception to this general rule. Beggars almost sell
themselves as human being to arouse the pity of passers-by. But real tramps
are not beggars. They have nothing to sell and require nothing from others. In
seeking independence, they do not sacrifice their human dignity. A tramp may
ask you for money, but he will never ask you to feel sorry for him. He has
deliberately chosen to lead the life he leads and is fully aware of the
consequences. He may never be sure where the next meal is coming from, but he
is free from the thousands of anxieties which afflict other people. His few
material possessions make it possible for him to move from place to place with
ease. By having to sleep in the open, he gets far closer to the world of
nature than most of us ever do. He may hunt, beg, or steal occasionally to
keep himself alive; he may even, in times of real need, do a little work; but
he will never sacrifice his freedom. We often speak of tramps with contempt
and put them in the same class as beggars, but how many of us can honestly say
that we have not felt a little envious of their simple way of life and their
freedom from care?&