Paradox of cleanliness

The other day listening to the gospel about what causes a person to be defiled, I remembered Fr Paul Vadakkumpadan speaking of cleanliness.  He was speaking of it in the context of our travels, especially by train.  Very often vendors pass by selling boiled groundnuts.  Passengers buy these groundnuts and then chat away with co-passengers happily peeling the groundnuts and munching on the nuts.  But the peels are just dropped on the floor!  They are left there till someone comes sweeping the floor.  And usually it is the poor people, those with disability and children who come along with a small broom or piece of rag.  As soon as the passengers see them, they fold their legs upon the seat, so as not be touched by 'those' cleaners.

That's where Fr Paul says the paradox lies: Those who dirty the place are considered clean and those who clean the place as dirty.