An idea for your improvement...

[2ndRateMind]

This cropped up on the BBC food and drink message board, and I thought you all might like to comment, here.

The basic observation is that obesity is a problem in the developed world, while 80 million people in the 3rd world are severly malnourished, and in danger of starvation. Moreover, we can solve the problem, simply by distributing the wealth of the world more justly.

So here is the modest proposal: we comfortable, lucky, wealthy people declare a 'food solidarity day', and voluntarily limit ourselves to the kind of food eaten by the poor for the entire day. Thus, as an example, one meal of dhal and chappattis might last us the entire day. The money we save from foregoing our normal diet gets donated to some worthy organisation of our choice.

We might time the event to coincide with, say the first or last day of lent.

Constructive criticism welcome.

Best wishes, 2ndRateMind.

 

[ebia]

This cropped up on the BBC food and drink message board, and I thought you all might like to comment, here.

The basic observation is that obesity is a problem in the developed world, while 80 million people in the 3rd world are severly malnourished, and in danger of starvation. Moreover, we can solve the problem, simply by distributing the wealth of the world more justly.

So here is the modest proposal: we comfortable, lucky, wealthy people declare a 'food solidarity day', and voluntarily limit ourselves to the kind of food eaten by the poor for the entire day. Thus, as an example, one meal of dhal and chappattis might last us the entire day. The money we save from foregoing our normal diet gets donated to some worthy organisation of our choice.

We might time the event to coincide with, say the first or last day of lent.

Constructive criticism welcome.

Best wishes, 2ndRateMind.

Sounds like a good idea if you could get enough people interested. (Not to mention that I really like dhal).

 

[2ndRateMind]

Sounds like a good idea if you could get enough people interested. (Not to mention that I really like dhal).

Thanx, ebia. I must confess, it took so long to get a response I was beginning to wonder about this board.

The thing is, I don't think it needs organising; just spreading. It's a viral idea; if everyone who likes it spreads it amongst their family, their neighbourhood, their parish, their diocese - why, that is all that needs to happen. Contributions to charity would be entirely discretionary, and entirely private.

Best wishes, 2ndRateMind.

 

[elephunky]

If i could put the fork down I would

 

[dies-l]

This cropped up on the BBC food and drink message board, and I thought you all might like to comment, here.

The basic observation is that obesity is a problem in the developed world, while 80 million people in the 3rd world are severly malnourished, and in danger of starvation. Moreover, we can solve the problem, simply by distributing the wealth of the world more justly.

So here is the modest proposal: we comfortable, lucky, wealthy people declare a 'food solidarity day', and voluntarily limit ourselves to the kind of food eaten by the poor for the entire day. Thus, as an example, one meal of dhal and chappattis might last us the entire day. The money we save from foregoing our normal diet gets donated to some worthy organisation of our choice.

We might time the event to coincide with, say the first or last day of lent.

Constructive criticism welcome.

Best wishes, 2ndRateMind.

How about a day of total fasting with the same goal in mind? After all, for many people in the world, that is a normal daily diet.

 

[2ndRateMind]

How about a day of total fasting with the same goal in mind? After all, for many people in the world, that is a normal daily diet.

Well, I would see it as up to the individual, whether they want to go that far. But the idea of eating beans and rice, say, might help illustrate the point even more graphically than total abstinence.

What we really need, I guess, is a website, with suitable recipes and an opportunity for people to pledge support. Any volunteers?

Best wishes, 2ndRateMind.

 

[daydreamergurl15]

How about, we go to the malnourished parts of the world and teach the people how and where to plant, and how and where to hunt for food... Send them whatever it is needed so they can plant and grown their own food, so therefore they can be more self-sufficient and it will eliminate the idea that they need to rely on the wealthy people to be fed. And while we are doing that, lets not forget to teach them the gospel. Charitable donations is great (continue to do so) but seriously, I think we need to teach them how to grow and hunt for their own food.

 

[dies-l]

How about, we go to the malnourished parts of the world and teach the people how and where to plant, and how and where to hunt for food... Send them whatever it is needed so they can plant and grown their own food, so therefore they can be more self-sufficient and it will eliminate the idea that they need to rely on the wealthy people to be fed. And while we are doing that, lets not forget to teach them the gospel. Charitable donations is great (continue to do so) but seriously, I think we need to teach them how to grow and hunt for their own food.

There are a lot of great ministries that do exactly that, and I agree that we should support this kind of work; it does ultimately pay much larger dividends than just giving people food. But, in some parts of the world, the land simply is not adequate to sustain the number of human beings living on it. Unfortunately, the problem of global poverty is too complicated any "one size fits all" type of solution.

But, we do live in a world in which it would be logistically and financially possible to provide for the needs of most of the extremely poor if most of the rich (meaning us) were generous enough to make it happen.

I think the idea of a fast day (whether a total fast or just a fast from extravagent foods) is a good place to start.

 

[daydreamergurl15]

But, we do live in a world in which it would be logistically and financially possible to provide for the needs of most of the extremely poor if most of the rich (meaning us) were generous enough to make it happen.

This saying comes to mind...
If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day but if you teach a man how to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.

Again, I think charitable donations is great, but when it comes to feeding the poor, I think we should teach them where and how to plant. And if the place they are located cannot bear fruit, then teaching them where to plant would be part of that education. I personally think most of poverty can be eliminated simply because food can be grown or hunt down (no need to purchase).

 

[dies-l]

This saying comes to mind...
If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day but if you teach a man how to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.

Again, I think charitable donations is great, but when it comes to feeding the poor, I think we should teach them where and how to plant. And if the place they are located cannot bear fruit, then teaching them where to plant would be part of that education. I personally think most of poverty can be eliminated simply because food can be grown or hunt down (no need to purchase).

I agree that education, whenever and wherever possible, is best. Increased generostiy from the West is still necessary to make this happen (and as I said, there are some great Christian charities who have made this kind of education their mission).

 

[dies-l]

Well, I would see it as up to the individual, whether they want to go that far. But the idea of eating beans and rice, say, might help illustrate the point even more graphically than total abstinence.

What we really need, I guess, is a website, with suitable recipes and an opportunity for people to pledge support. Any volunteers?

Best wishes, 2ndRateMind.

Our youth group will be doing the 30 Hour Famine on April 17-18. The purpose is to raise money and awareness about global poverty, through fasting, prayer, and community service. Please pray for our teens as they raise funds and prepare for the fast.

 

[2ndRateMind]

Our youth group will be doing the 30 Hour Famine on April 17-18. The purpose is to raise money and awareness about global poverty, through fasting, prayer, and community service. Please pray for our teens as they raise funds and prepare for the fast.

They have my total support, Dies3l.

As for the poor - I don't think it's a matter of teaching them to fish, plant, hunt and sow. They will have tried every avenue open to them - hunger makes you do that - and it is a little condescending to think otherwise. I think it more appropriate to ensure that they have fishing nets, seed, fertilisers, appropriate technology and useful livestock.

As for bringing the gospel along as well - I don't think it needs be explicit. In providing for the needy, we are living the gospel, and that is a far better way to preach than mere words could ever be.

Best wishes, 2ndRateMind.

 

[dies-l]

They have my total support, Dies3l.

As for the poor - I don't think it's a matter of teaching them to fish, plant, hunt and sow. They will have tried every avenue open to them - hunger makes you do that - and it is a little condescending to think otherwise. I think it more appropriate to ensure that they have fishing nets, seed, fertilisers, appropriate technology and useful livestock.

As for bringing the gospel along as well - I don't think it needs be explicit. In providing for the needy, we are living the gospel, and that is a far better way to preach than mere words could ever be.

Best wishes, 2ndRateMind.

But, I would acknowledge that sometimes all that is needed is a small step to get the process of economic development rolling. For example, perhaps what is needed is some animals to provide protein and to help with agricultural tasks. If this is a need, a relatively small contribution is all that is needed along with some education about breeding and caring for the animals.

In other cases, such as parts of the world overcome by drought, pestilence, flooding, or other disastors that make agriculture nearly impossible, it may be that the best way to help is for the Church to provide for the immediate food and medical needs of the community.

To DDG's point: We need also keep in mind that food is not the only issue that is of supreme importance in dealing with extreme poverty. Water and sanitation are perhaps even more important than food. Drilling wells capable of providing clean water in the third world is of supreme importance, considering that waterborne diseases are one of the big killers of children in extreme poverty. Similarly, it is important to provide adequate sanitation systems to ensure that the ground water supply that feeds the wells and the general environment in which people live stays clean. Another big issue is medical care, especially in Africa, where AIDS is killing large numbers of adults and leaving children orphaned and living on the streets. With issues like these, the solution is not as simple as just educating the people. Wells and sanitation systems are expensive projects even if you have the knowledge of how to build them. Adequate medical education takes years and a lot of money to acquire, and even the education is largely useless without the medicines available. All of this costs money, and there is no real substitute for simply providing what the people need in many cases.

 

[ebia]

How about, we go to the malnourished parts of the world and teach the people how and where to plant, and how and where to hunt for food... Send them whatever it is needed so they can plant and grown their own food, so therefore they can be more self-sufficient and it will eliminate the idea that they need to rely on the wealthy people to be fed. And while we are doing that, lets not forget to teach them the gospel. Charitable donations is great (continue to do so) but seriously, I think we need to teach them how to grow and hunt for their own food.

Most of the serious aid agencies (World Vision, Oxfam, Caritas) do work on sustainable projects whereever possible. But not everyone has access to land, economic systems often undermine local agriculture, etc. If you live in a slum in Bangladesh growing your own food isn't an option; working as a rickshaw driver for $3 a day may be the only job going, and far better than what is available to many.

There's a need for all three - immediate aid, long term projects, and sorting out systems that undermine local economies.

 

[ebia]

But, I would acknowledge that sometimes all that is needed is a small step to get the process of economic development rolling. For example, perhaps what is needed is some animals to provide protein and to help with agricultural tasks. If this is a need, a relatively small contribution is all that is needed along with some education about breeding and caring for the animals.

In other cases, such as parts of the world overcome by drought, pestilence, flooding, or other disastors that make agriculture nearly impossible, it may be that the best way to help is for the Church to provide for the immediate food and medical needs of the community.

To DDG's point: We need also keep in mind that food is not the only issue that is of supreme importance in dealing with extreme poverty. Water and sanitation are perhaps even more important than food. Drilling wells capable of providing clean water in the third world is of supreme importance, considering that waterborne diseases are one of the big killers of children in extreme poverty. Similarly, it is important to provide adequate sanitation systems to ensure that the ground water supply that feeds the wells and the general environment in which people live stays clean. Another big issue is medical care, especially in Africa, where AIDS is killing large numbers of adults and leaving children orphaned and living on the streets. With issues like these, the solution is not as simple as just educating the people. Wells and sanitation systems are expensive projects even if you have the knowledge of how to build them. Adequate medical education takes years and a lot of money to acquire, and even the education is largely useless without the medicines available. All of this costs money, and there is no real substitute for simply providing what the people need in many cases.

And in many cases the amount of money is not huge. What we spend on one luxury (choose from say pet, cosmetics or alchohol) is enought to bring clean, safe, water to just about everybody. What we spent on the first round of proping up failed banks could have saved 5 million children from dying.

 

[dies-l]

And in many cases the amount of money is not huge. What we spend on one luxury (choose from say pet, cosmetics or alchohol) is enought to bring clean, safe, water to just about everybody. What we spent on the first round of proping up failed banks could have saved 5 million children from dying.

I have heard somewhere that if every Western Christian have a small percentage of their income (I don't remember the exact percentage, but I believe that it was less than 10&#37 to the global work of the Church, then we could virtually eliminate the type of extreme poverty that kills 26,000 children every day (with the obvious exception of poverty that is directly created by political oppression, which accounts for a relatively small number of the extremely poor).

 

[2ndRateMind]

Indeed. That is the main point to get over, I think; the idea that we can end absolute poverty, if we only put our minds to it and joyfully exercise every opportunity make a difference. Here's a quote in support of that point:

The UN calculates that the whole of the world population's basic needs for food, drinking water, education and medical care could be covered by a levy of less than 4% of the accumulated wealth of the 225 largest fortunes. To satisfy all the world's sanitation and food requirements would cost only $13 billion, hardly as much as the people of the United States and European Union spend each year on perfume.

Ignacio Ramonet, 'The politics of hunger', Le Monde Diplomatique, November 1998

Too many Christians take Jesus' comment that 'the poor will always be with you' too literally, I think. It is true that wealth will be unevenly distributed for as long as we rely on free-markets to organise the sharing, but that doesn't mean that we need allow people to die of hunger, thirst and preventable disease. We have to battle against the defeatist 'what difference can I make?' syndrome, and realise that in concert and with a bit of organisation we can make a difference, and that difference is the difference, literally, between life and death for many marginal, vulnerable people.

Best wishes, 2ndRateMind.

 

[Bellicus]

This cropped up on the BBC food and drink message board, and I thought you all might like to comment, here.

The basic observation is that obesity is a problem in the developed world, while 80 million people in the 3rd world are severly malnourished, and in danger of starvation. Moreover, we can solve the problem, simply by distributing the wealth of the world more justly.

So here is the modest proposal: we comfortable, lucky, wealthy people declare a 'food solidarity day', and voluntarily limit ourselves to the kind of food eaten by the poor for the entire day. Thus, as an example, one meal of dhal and chappattis might last us the entire day. The money we save from foregoing our normal diet gets donated to some worthy organisation of our choice.

We might time the event to coincide with, say the first or last day of lent.

Constructive criticism welcome.

Best wishes, 2ndRateMind.

Why not just spend some money on the poor instead and then face the consequence of having to spend less money on stuff that is really not needed? Instead of making such a big deal out of it.

 

[2ndRateMind]

The idea, Bellicus, is to multiply the money any one individual might give by encouraging full-scale community support for the project.

Best wishes, 2ndRateMind.

 

[Bellicus]

It sounds like a idea that is not likely to work very well since it is about eating poor food for a day. People like to eat good food. Most people would rather just give some money and eat normal the same time.