literature

Hunger - The Slow Poison

Deviation Actions

Published: Nov 4, 2015

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Literature Text

      Over the past centuries, many great thinkers have given it the reputation of being the biggest drive behind the actions of even the most rigid personalities. Its gushing currents with sinuous cravings blow even the laziest sloths into legwork, and a hunt that ends only after satisfying that devil in their hearts. The reason we survive, a need that cannot be overcome or overlooked, but a voracity that can drive you crazy enough to kill someone, if need so. This malevolent necessity is nothing else, but hunger.
      A typical scene of a hunger struck environment is enough to give haunts and chills to the warmest of hearts. Naked bronzed bodies with their ribs coming out of their bare chests, their stick limbs like thin candles running out of their fuel. Their eyes almost popping out due to a lack of sleep, and their skin featuring bruises due to the hard work they put into earning the hope for a single meal in the day. From Africa to Asia to Latin America, that is the harsh reality that can be observed in all the scattered parts of the world.
      A major issue in the modern world, hunger and malnutrition have pierced their fangs in almost all the parts of the world. It is a constant pin prick that is hurting about eight hundred million people in the world. That is about one-tenth of the world population. We are losing our future generations at a rate higher than the stone age hunter gatherers ever did. Like a slow poison, hunger and starvation are injecting their venom in the lives of the modern humans, and sucking the lives out of those who suffer its tyranny.
      The World Food Program by United Nations claims that “there is enough food in the world today for everyone to have the nourishment necessary for a healthy and productive life” (wfp.org). On the other hand, the United Nations Environment Program states that “roughly one third of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year gets lost or wasted”, and that “every year, consumers in rich countries waste almost as much food as the entire net food production of sub-Saharan Africa” (unep.org). These facts speak volumes about the pathetic, unethical ignorance of the majority of the world’s population towards this issue, especially the developed countries. A punch in the face is the fact that majority of the world doesn’t even know about the importance of this issue, and keep ignoring it like the faint glimpse seen through the side of the eyes when not directly looking at the image.
      According to the WFP, it costs only about twenty-five US cents to feed a child per day. That is not asking for a lot, especially in a world where the average income is around a thousand and a half dollars per month. So why are we not able to fight it? Why is this slow poison penetrating the lives of increasingly more people in the modern world where technology has increased the productivity in exponential terms? Why are we failing to curb the fire that is sweeping half the world in its flames?
      Poverty and unemployment have been rated the major causes of hunger all over the world. With the prices of food getting higher and higher due to improper storage and market strategies along with the massive wastage, it is a tough job not just for the eight hundred million but also for the people with below average income. Like a yoyo, poverty and hunger correspond and are the cause of each other, never allowing their prey out of their bonds. Malnutrition not only causes physical disadvantage, but also serious mental health issues to those who are stuck in its web. This disables them from getting a proper job and bars any chance for getting a good employment. Thus, this cycle goes on and on, making it a very difficult task for the sufferers to get rid of it.
      Another reason for the high number of hunger-struck people is less investment in agriculture by the various governments of the world. Though stats say that there is enough food for everyone, but as a third of it is in waste, the shortage of food takes place. On top of it, improper storage techniques rot millions of tons of grains that could have otherwise been used to feed the hungry. It is a common market strategy to keep storing the agricultural produce until the demand and price get high. This often leads to the scene where sacks of grains become the food for rats in the granaries, or is rotten because of rains and wet environment.

Hunger and malnutrition are also the results of illiteracy and huge population growth. It is a common belief amongst the poor that more progenies bring more income to the family. Being illiterate, they do not invest their hard earned money on their children’s education, while undernourishment further bars the scope for development of the children. It becomes harder and harder to feed the large number of children, plus poverty’s constant blows devastate them. Here is a startling fact – About half the deaths each year caused to children under five years of age is due to undernourishment. This number is as high as three million deaths each year (wfp.org).

      Imagine a single day going to bed without having eaten anything after a long day’s tiring labor. Worst, imagine your kids surviving on one meal per day. That is the harsh reality of millions of people living with hunger. But the situation can be made better just by following a few simple steps that can change the world for all those who suffer this trauma every day. All we need is some generous care and philanthropy from the citizens of the world, and only then can we eradicate this silent evil that is shouting loud in the lives of those who undergo its pain.
      There is still a silver lining behind this cloud of harsh reality. The number of hunger struck and undernourished people is going down gradually. Organizations like the WFP, FAO, UNEP, and other compassionate people are helping to save billions of lives on this planet. Individuals are contributing towards the cause with their small contributions that are like drops that fill a whole pot. Easy methods like not wasting the food that you eat, buying the food in limited amount, and contributing a little money towards the various organizations that are working for a better life for these people can save millions. One step taken by you can motivate everyone else around you to eliminate the challenge that lies in front of whole humanity.
      Most important of all, awareness and sensitivity towards those who have to live their lives undergoing such tension has to be increased amongst every individual. In a world where a large population doesn’t even have access to the basic requirement of life, only a stunted development can be achieved. The human resource is the biggest asset that any country can have, and to use it, food and nourishment are the first priority. A healthy body can provide a healthy mind, and every healthy person is a unit for the development of humanity as a whole. Together, we can create a healthy and positive environment to make the world a better place to live in.