End Hunger Fast E-Zine - Volume 1

Living Simply so Others Might Simply Live

Written by Meagan Peasgood - Manitoba Foodgrains Bank Staff

Compared to 30 years ago, we consume TWICE as much of EVERYTHING: from food, to fuel, housing, clothing, computers, cars, golf clubs, nail polish; everything under the sun that’s for sale.

The average Canadian consumes at a rate 5 times what the earth could possibly sustain, if everyone on the planet were to live at that level. Simply put, for us to maintain our current consumptive lifestyles, many of the world’s people have to do with much less. In many cases much less actually mean not enough.

Consider these numbers: We (in North America) spend 34 billion dollars a year on make up and perfume. It would take $17 billion a year to provide health care for all mothers and their children, and offer universal literacy to every person on the planet. We spend $18 billion a year on pet food. It would take about the same amount annually to eliminate hunger and malnutrition. We spend $21 billion on ocean cruise holidays and ice cream. It would take $12 billion to provide clean drinking water and immunizations for all.

According to the World Bank, fully half the world’s population struggles to make ends meet with $2 per day. This is not a result of the poor being lazy, or even of the other half being particularly clever. It is the result of a global economic system that has been set up to keep the rich (that’s us) rich and the poor, poor.

These figures put a fine point on the fact that the yoke of oppression on the worlds poor is at least partially brought about by the choices we make in our daily lives.

Now Click here to read Isaiah 58:1-12

We hear Isaiah’s 2700 year old message as Christians in the here and now, on this side of the cross, where we each consume way more than our fair share, and cause someone - elsewhere - to have less than enough.

This passage says to us Be aware, God is on the move, bringing peace and justice; God is present and active beyond the details of our personal lives and into the wide world around us. We simply can’t ignore the central message of the text, the notion that personal piety which does not produce a passion for God-exalting social justice and mercy is worthless.

This text is a shout out to those who practice devotions without deeds. In other words, those who are pious, religious, "Bible reading," praying folk – who find delight in their religious practices. But they don’t enjoy God and his ways; they enjoy self-justifying religion, while forsaking the judgments of God.

In verse 5, when the people ask why God pays no attention to their fasting, God says their fasting and self-afflictions are a religious smoke screen, a way to hide finding pleasure in unjust gain. It’s interesting that God does not take “being un-informed” as an excuse for doing nothing.

God invites us to nurture piety that will produce a passion and action towards breaking the bonds of injustice. If it doesn’t, our piety is worthless. And if it does – if our faith and love and devotion do produce a passion for freeing the oppressed, and feeding the hungry, and housing the homeless, and clothing the naked, – then…just imagine what we’ll accomplish.

We just might taste the promise described toward the end of this text. A taste of what good things happen in our lives if we give ourselves away to bring justice and mercy to the world, instead of just living for our own comforts.

In order to bring this promise to fruition we must be functional in our faith, 7 days a week. We must be concerned with the economics and welfare of the poor, and care for those in need, here at home as well as abroad, as a visible demonstration of our beliefs. In short, we must live more simply, so that others may simply live.

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