On poverty

So many in this world are poor.  In the US income inequality is growing, as the national discussion of the 99% and the 1% indicate. 

Poverty's sorry companions are hunger and disease.  Each contributes to the other, in a downward spiral through misery to heartbreak and death.  I mention heartbreak becuse the weak suffer more and across the globe, that means children.

Most of the world lives this way, especially in our planet's southern hemisphere.  We in the northern hemisphere must look at ourselves.  Our governments exploit their governments.  The wealthier you are, the more likely you are to benefit from the system - the laws and luck of a culture. 

Here is a website that explains the problems pretty well.  

Now...what to do, what to do?  Buy local.  Buy fair trade.  Buy less.  Give generously.  Very generously. 

Peace and justice, y'all

Molly

On world hunger

We humans like to eat. It nourishes us, it satisfies us. I am grateful I always have enough to eat, and so do the people I love. Yet so many souls on this earth go to sleep with an empty tummy. This bothers me.

In 2010, 925 million people were hungry. Most were in Asia and the Pacific. A significant minority are in sub-Saharan Africa. A tiny minority are in developed countries such as the U.S. (Numbers courtesy United Nations)

Most of the undernourished are children. Undernourishment complicates and exacerbates illnesses. It's implicated directly in many deaths and makes the suffers fall to other diseases.

The world produces enough food. But not everyone has enough land to grow food or money to buy it.

Poverty is the prime cause. Harmful economic systems, in which a very wealthy and tiny minority control the resources and the rest must do without, is another main cause. Conflict causes hunger. Conflict displaces and destroys.

Peace prevails if conflict has just and nonviolent resolution. Peace's sisters are justice and love. With more justice, resources are more evenly distributed. In a just society with calm (another of peace's sisters)and stable conditions, people can find work or stick around to grow and harvest food.

Something to chew on....

Peace, y'all

Molly

My Christmas gifts

Merry Christmas, planet. For those who do not choose to celebrate the birth of Jesus, I send warm greetings and my intense wish for peace and good will. Part of my celebration today will be to open my checkbook wide and give give give to those who help people and parts of the planet that need my money way more than I do.

Peace, y'all!

Molly

Learning from the World Community

Small epiphany today. If we visit a poor country and see the poverty, we would first feel shock, then get ideas on how to help.

So, it is as well when people from poor countries, or European countries (where the standard of living is high but by using far fewer resources) visit us.

They're amazed (to put it politely) at the amount we waste. The packaging. The food. The driving everywhere. They are impressed (and not in a good way) at the shocking majority of us who are overweight. They see our big cars, our drive-throughs, our big houses and huge grocery stores too big and far apart to get to any other way but driving. They see our huge closets, just bursting with stuff. They see our self-storage cottage industry.

We can share education, infrastructure, sanitation, and public health resources with the others in the world, and they can show us how to live joyfully on far, far less.

Today I viewed my world through the eyes of someone from another country, and didn't like what I saw.

The retail abstinence continues. Day 11. I find I enjoy browsing in catalogs and don't mind stores too much. It's getting easier! I realized today we are saving a LOT of $$ by not going out to eat at all.

We hosted a nice dinner last night for two women friends and their daughters. I opened a bottle of wine (didn't finish it), but also received one, so I think I broke even on that expense. I bought very little for this meal. I had the pork and the bacon (local!), I had the potatoes from the CSA, I had the pears from the CSA. Need to buy the cresent rolls, nuts, brussels sprouts, cheese. That wasnt' too much.

I entertained the daughters with my cats and then with learning to fold cranes. They both embraced it quicky and happily. It gave me happiness as well to share my interest.

In the interest of promoting peace, I shared with the two women issues of the newsletter from Right Sharing for World Resources. Perhaps RSWR will get their moral support (likely) and financial support (I hope).

Hoping to make the world a better place.....

Peace, y'all

Molly