In
our recent trip to South Africa, a young man on bended knee asked my children
for food. I was in the shop buying a bottle of water. My son brought him into
the shop to see me but the shopkeeper refused to let him enter. When I invited
him in, the shopkeeper relented. He asked me for food and I picked up a packet
of biscuit, two pies and a bottle of soda for him. It was Christmas day… but
what difference does it mean to this young man if it is a Holy day or a
holiday?
On
any given day, a staggering 870 million people worldwide, or 1 in 8 do not have
enough food to eat. On the other hand, millions are spend each day on diet
products and tons of food is being thrown away daily. The world produces enough food to feed
everyone, unfortunately, it is not distributed equally. The rich has more than abundant
but the poor has none. It’s
one thing to meet a hungry person on the street and another to read about
children dying of hunger in an impoverished country or suffering from
malnutrition in poor areas of your community. Conscientious people can’t help
being disturbed knowing that many people
around the world are concerned about losing weight while many others would
welcome the leftovers we put down the disposal.
Globalization
shows us that our planet is interconnected. Overconsumption of resources,
pollution and economic irresponsibility in one part of the world will
eventually impact us all. “For I was hungry, and
you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me something to
drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in; I was sick and you took care of
me, I was in prison and you visited me...I tell you whenever you do these
things for the least important of these followers of mine, you did it for me.”
- Jesus: Matthew 25:35 rings in our ears.
Did it motivate us to act or just believe and no action?
What
can I do about hunger? We can make a
difference through simple lifestyle changes and be
conscious of the effect of our actions.
Eat sensibly. Don’t overeat. Don’t waste food. Reduce meat from your diet. Eat till you are full. Don’t be a glutton.
Consider fasting so that others may simply eat. It’s not practical and impossible to send your leftovers to the slums of Calcutta, but consider fasting from a meal, dessert or luxury food.
Donate the
money saved to a hunger cause. Fasting
is also a form of prayer and puts us in solidarity with those who don’t have a
choice.
Don’t be gullible. The main purpose of advertising is to separate you from your money—not to make you healthy. Eating or drinking certain foods will not make you more powerful or attract the love of your life. Be smart. Read labels and know what they mean.
The bottom line? Eat responsibly, share, learn and advocate. Be mindful, don’t waste food.
