I found the week where the food prices were announced to rise particularly heavy. Hearing the news anchor state matter of factly that the rising costs would push 1 billion people dangerously close to starvation was a lot to handle.
I had some deep discussions with friends and family members over this issue. Because I was pretty distraught, people tried to console me, saying something to the effect of: "You do what you can, and then you enjoy your life, knowing you've done all you can."
The question I have in response was, do we have permission to grieve? Do we have permission to stop the rat race of our lives for a moment, or perhaps a few days to truly ponder what this means for our world? What should our reaction look like?
(Now here's where I get all spiritual on you: But I just have to go there in my own head and heart):
If God is a supreme being overseeing this impending catastrophe, what is God's impression? Is God's heart broken? Should mine be too? If God is a force, say like the wind, with no hands and no bank account, maybe I need to step in and do something, because if I don't, God can't exactly reach in and stop anything.
It so happens that I read the Bible. I read it not so much seeking divine inspiration or answers to questions such as these, but more so as an interested bystander. I've found over time that I really honestly get so much out of it if I am reading it like I would read any other book, with my eyes open and my head on my shoulders.
On this occasion the Bible seemed to give me a bit of an answer to my questions, or at least gave me the permission I was seeking to indulge in the experience of grief. This portion of the Bible was written in response to the siege on Israel, in a time when calamitous events fell upon the people. Let's just say: they were hungry!
From Lamentations 3:
18: "Cry aloud before the Lord...Let your tears flow like a river day and night. Give yourselves no rest, give your eyes no relief."
19: "Rise during the night and cry out. Pour out your hearts like water to the Lord. Lift up your hands to him in prayer, pleading for your children, for in every street, they are faint with hunger."
From Lamentations 4:
vs. 4: "The parched tongues of their little ones stick to the roofs of their mouths in thirst. The children cry for bread, but no one has any to give them"
vs. 5: "The people who once ate the richest foods now beg in the streets for anything they can get. Those who once wore the finest clothes now search the garbage dumps for food..." (And to this I think, what if that was us? How would we feel about hunger then?)
vs. 9: "Those killed by the sword are better off than those who die of hunger. Starving, they waste away for lack of food from the fields"
Hunger is an age old problem. In our "modern" times, it seems that not much has changed for the poor of this world- except, there are many many more poor people today.
A few thoughts from this. I found my permission to grieve (indulge in a little "pointless" grief); but I can also respond to this. I, or we? can take on the spirit of love and compassion, and "be the change". The world's riches would only need to spare around 1$ a day to feed the world's poor. You can argue that money can't solve the problem--I wonder what the Red Cross would have to say about that? I'm sure they would agree to an extent, but think about what would happen if the world's richest billion gave $365 more each year to credible aid organizations. That would mean 365 billion dollars each year. Maybe it wouldn't solve the problem but who can't say it wouldn't help a little here and there? I believe powerlessness is a myth and we can all do more, and we can all encourage our family and friends to do more.
One more closing thought on hunger that I came across in my favorite cookbook, More With Less, written over 25 years ago:
"In the short term, there is probably nothing anyone can do to forestall mass starvation in some rice-dependent areas. But the very least we can do is to take a symbolic stand and cook rice with reverence, taking care that each precious grain swells to it's fullest but stays firm and separate from the rest. Perhaps we could even inaugerate our own rice ritual-- a moment of silence for those who are not getting enough" -Raymond Sokolov
So, those are my thoughts.
Where to go from here?
World Food Program- the UN's stab at the problem: http://www.wfp.org/
Free Rice-play educational computer games and rice will be donated to fight hunger!: http://www.freerice.com/
Mission of Mercy Canada- feeding program- They feed over 12000 people in Calcutta every day: https://missionofmercy.ca/Main.py/?donate.index#Feeding%20Program
I also reccomend the following authors with books on global economic issues: Jeffrey Sachs, William Eastery, and Naomi Klein.
If we all do a little, maybe a little will change. If we all do a lot, maybe a lot will change. And judging by the state of things...I think we all need to consider what "a lot" means.
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