Hunger: how?

My mother made a good comment on my last post, which has inspired this post. The question she's asking is basically how? How do we learn? How do we feel? How do we do? And how do we get other people to join us?

I understand that the information available to learn about hunger is overwhelming. There are many sites with many foci. There are many programs. There are reams of books (Amazon lists 53,515 in nonfiction). I don't know where to send you. Well, I lie -- I do know where to send you: Bread for the World and Heifer International are a good start. But you have to make your own way, sift through the information for yourself, and follow your interests; what I enjoy, you might not. If you want a good Bible study on hunger, especially for a group, I suggest The Society of St. Andrew's study The Fast that I Choose. Very good information tied to Biblical texts.

As for how do we feel for others, in the context of our daily lives, all I can do is suggest that we talk to people. Talk to people at a soup kitchen, or talk to people who have worked at one. Talk to people from low-income countries, or talk to people who have visited one. The personal relationships are the ones that touch our hearts.

How do we act, do something? This is the hardest of all. Should we live sustainably, below our income, so we can share what we have with others? Of course -- it is our duty to our world and the rest of mankind to live as lightly as possible. Maybe we don't give up toilet paper for a year, but we should try to make our impact small. Should we all go on short-term trips overseas to help out? Of course not -- only people who are called to do so should be spending the money to travel all that way. But we should help out in our own communities. Should we write letters to our representatives? Of course -- we may not drown out the lobbyists, but we can be heard and we should make our opinions known.

The biggest problem is the one my mother put her finger right on -- it's not easy. So, she asked, how do we make it easy?

We don't.

It's not easy. It never has been easy. It never will be easy. People who want easy don't change the world. And yes, I know, Americans are lazy and want things simplified, dumbed down, and made as easy as possible. I'm sorry, but it's not going to happen.

The good news about the difficulty is that it provides greater satisfaction. I love hiking, and I love especially hiking hills and forests. In most of NY, the public parks trails are smooth, dirt or gravel, with hand rails and stairs in difficult sections and well-marked paths. I enjoy hiking on them. I spent a few weeks in Vermont a few summers ago and camped at Underhill State Park, on the slopes of Mt. Mansfield, so I could do some hiking. The trails on that side of the mountain were very lightly marked, rough, and had nothing resembling a hand rail or a stair. I truly loved those hikes, more than on the nice manicured trails in NY, because they gave me a sense of accomplishment. I had to fight to find my way, almost getting lost, scrambling through loose leaves and over rivulets, trying to get the dog I was sitting over the shoulder-high rocks. I worked to finish those hikes, and I loved it.

Work hard to fight hunger, and you will be glad you did. If you look for an easy way out, you may enjoy it, you may be somewhat productive, but you won't feel the accomplishment in the end. That feeling is worth the effort.