那些拾荒人

近年来，国际风云变幻，国内经济形势也发生了深刻变化。实体经济面临困境，市场不景气，许多人在这波经济低迷中感受到生活压力。尤其是就业形势严峻，偷盗、诈骗等犯罪现象频发，许多人找不到稳定的工作，生活困苦。而在这个过程中，拾荒人群体悄然增长，其中不乏年轻人甚至小孩的身影。对于这些人来说，翻找垃圾桶，捡拾废弃的纸盒和塑料瓶，也许是维持生计的一条生路，尽管这条路充满了不易和辛酸。
In recent years, international geopolitical shifts and domestic economic changes have profoundly impacted the situation. The real economy is facing difficulties, the market is sluggish, and many people are feeling the pressure of life in the midst of this economic downturn. Employment is particularly challenging, with a rise in crimes such as theft and fraud. Many people cannot find stable jobs and are struggling to make ends meet. In this context, the number of scavengers has quietly increased, with many of them being young people and even children. For these individuals, rummaging through trash bins and collecting discarded cardboard boxes and plastic bottles may be their way of making a living, even though it is a difficult and painful path.
令人感到痛心的是，拾荒不再是贫困群体的专属，连一些年迈的老人也加入了这一行列。那些本应安享晚年的退休老人，很多人靠着几千块退休金的生活，依然需要翻找街头的垃圾，捡取塑料瓶、纸盒等废弃物来维持生计。尽管这一行为在某种程度上代表了老人的自力更生，但它背后所反映的社会问题，却让人深思。难道我们的社会，真的已经无法为这些老人提供一个更为体面的晚年生活吗？
What is heartbreaking is that scavenging is no longer exclusive to the impoverished. Even elderly people who should be enjoying their retirement are joining this group. Many retired seniors, who receive only a few thousand yuan in pension, still need to rummage through the streets for plastic bottles and cardboard boxes to survive. While this behavior can be seen as their attempt to be self-reliant, it also highlights the social issues that demand attention. Has our society really become incapable of providing these seniors with a more dignified life in their later years?
与这些拾荒人并行的是，一些本身工资较低的环卫工人，他们日常的工作就是清扫街道、收拾垃圾，然而他们的薪酬也并不高，许多人通过捡拾快递纸盒和塑料瓶等物品来补充收入。这一现象不禁让人深思：当环卫工人也不得不通过这种方式来维持生活，说明社会对于这类低收入人群的支持和保障力度依然不足。
Alongside these scavengers are sanitation workers, who often have low wages. Their daily work involves cleaning streets and collecting garbage, but their pay is also modest. Many of them supplement their income by collecting discarded packaging, such as cardboard boxes and plastic bottles. This phenomenon raises an important question: when even sanitation workers have to rely on this method to make ends meet, it suggests that the social support for low-income groups is still insufficient.
最近在抖音上看到了一段视频，视频中的孩子大约只有几岁，却在大人的引导下捡拾塑料瓶，收入不多，但却在为家庭出一份微薄的力。这一幕让我感到非常难过。一个孩子本应享受无忧无虑的童年，而现在却因为家庭贫困而不得不参与到如此艰苦的劳动中。社会的进步，不应该让儿童承担这样的责任，而是应当为他们创造更多的机会，让他们在学校、在家庭中得到更多的关爱和教育。
Recently, I saw a video on Douyin (TikTok) where a child, who looked to be only a few years old, was helping an adult collect plastic bottles. The income from this effort was minimal, but the child was contributing to the family’s survival. Watching this, I felt a deep sense of sorrow. A child should be enjoying a carefree childhood, yet due to family poverty, they are forced to take part in such hard labor. The progress of society should not impose such responsibilities on children. Instead, it should provide more opportunities for them, enabling them to receive love and education in school and at home.
拾荒人群体的壮大，不仅是个人困境的表现，更是社会保障体系和贫富差距问题的体现。我们不能忽视这一现实，必须看到背后潜藏的社会问题。如何在提高社会保障、改善就业形势、完善贫困群体救助等方面做出努力，已经成为摆在我们面前的一个重要课题。我们每个人都应当思考：在经济发展不断进步的今天，为什么还有那么多人因为生计问题不得不走上拾荒的道路？
The growing number of scavengers is not only a reflection of personal hardships but also a symptom of issues like the social welfare system and the widening gap between the rich and the poor. We cannot ignore this reality; we must acknowledge the underlying social problems. How to strengthen social security, improve employment opportunities, and enhance aid for impoverished groups has become a crucial issue that we need to address. Every one of us should reflect on this: why, in an era of continuous economic progress, are so many people still forced to resort to scavenging to survive?
拾荒不丢人，但它绝不是社会应当接受的常态。如何让更多的家庭不再为生计发愁，让孩子不再在街头捡拾废品，而是去享受更好的教育和成长环境，是我们每个人应当共同努力的目标。
Scavenging is not shameful, but it should not be an acceptable norm in society. How can we ensure that more families no longer have to worry about making ends meet, that children no longer have to collect waste on the streets but instead enjoy better education and growth opportunities? This is a goal we should all strive for.