Last week, French director Julien Goudichaud released a short documentary about a man named Jacques Sayagh, who lives on the streets of Paris.
Sayagh is a 50-year-old bodybuilder, but he is also homeless, spending his days on the streets of Paris preparing for bodybuilding competitions as people walk by.
Interestingly, it seems that Sayagh’s homelessness is somewhat by choice.
“I don’t want to live in a small apartment, people do not understand why I sleep on the floor, but I never feel cold,” he said in the video.
Sayagh is unfortunately not in perfect health, and has liver problems that developed from an alcohol problem in his younger years.
“Bodybuilders are futurists, they dare everything, it’s a world that I like, I have grandchildren. I don’t want them to think that their grandfather is an asshole. I want them to be proud of me, that’s all I want,” Sayagh said.
Despite his lack of material possessions, Sayagh seems like a happy and fulfilled person. However, Sayagh’s absent family does leave some questions unanswered about his past and his apparent choice to be homeless.
What do you think? Is Sayagh an inspiration? Or is he just making the best of a bad situation? Maybe Both?
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6Mq-3_AMMI]
John Vibes writes for True Activist and is an author, researcher and investigative journalist who takes a special interest in the counter culture and the drug war.
