Few Americans understand the torture of hunger these days. On the contrary, we are having the opposite problem of eating too much, lured by ever-present food commercials and aromas escaping from eateries conveniently located all over our streets. At home, a well-stocked fridge acts more like a temptress, ready to offer us food even when we are not hungry.
Those who are starving could only wish they had America’s problem. In fact, hundreds of millions of people are unable to secure enough food for themselves every day. They come in all ages, genders, and colors, trying to survive wars, political turmoil, natural disasters, and more.
These people battle drought and flood or other events they cannot predict and have no control over. They are our earthly brothers and sisters, perpetually living in fear with empty stomachs. And, if we look more closely, we are bound to find plenty of our own down-and-out countrymen starving in the shadows of our tall, magnificent skyscrapers as well.
Starvation is one of the worst challenges humans have to face, for without sustenance, we simply cannot live. I was born during the Great Famine in China in the early 1960s when millions of people lost their lives because of food deprivation. Luckily, I survived to tell the tale.
I will never forget how, as a child, I had to go to bed while the sun was still up way above the horizon, having eaten only a small bowl of plain watery rice. My mother told me that when I fell for granted.
World Hunger Day may pass by us quietly each year, but our awareness of starvation should not. For as long as others suffer without enough to eat, every day remains World Hunger Day.
You can learn more how to be part of the global initiative to battle hunger at www.WorldHungerYear.org.
You can contact me at QStubis@gmail.com, or visit me at www.QinSunStubis.com.