One of the most moving images that was presented in our reading this week was that of “the mud-lark”. In today’s society with our prosperity, and how much we prize letting our children be children, it is very difficult for me to imagine young children having no choice, but to trudge through the River Thames looking for anything of value to sell. It is downright heart breaking to think that anyone, child or adult alike could be reduced to such desperate measures. Unfortunately we have not come as far as we may like to think, and there is most likely some modern day form of mud-larking still going on today. Perhaps not to the toxic life threatening extremes that once existed, but a modern twist would be the homeless person who is constantly collecting any aluminum cans that they can find. We see them with their huge trash bags full, and wonder what they plan to do with all of the cans, but if they can ever make it to a scrap metal buyer their hard work may be rewarded. Of course aluminum cans weigh next to nothing, and it would take quite a few to make up even one pound of aluminum, but I guess something is better than nothing, and hey they’re helping the environment too. Maybe one day society as a whole will be able to move past allowing our fellow man to falter and fall on such hard times that they need to resort to such disgusting back breaking activities in order to survive.