Stop feeding the world!

Distress calls for relief. Disease requires treatment. Saving lives is a human instinct and a righteous virtue. But as our societies are growing more and more complex, it seems we keep on grinding our way trying to save what can be saved, doing a lot of damage control. We hurl to send food to the hungry. We strive to confine ourselves until a cure is found to pandemics. We set fines to environment polluters and spend billions at a natural disaster wake. And we keep grinding... and we keep running... C’est la vie!

Tackling the root cause of our problems seems to be far less impactful than those “stress relief” procedures. Many have settled in a comfort zone of post-syndrome action. Preventative measures are weighing lightly as we all attempt to save our day-to-day routine. And while planning and future sustainability are always in sight (not denying the actual efforts in that direction), it looks like the transition is still far away. With all this development, we still “give” the poor and needy. And we rush to save the aftermath of our decisions. And no, I am not preaching for a utopia nor a perfect society. But simply looking at the balance of our priorities. Are we settling in a comfort zone of “giving the poor” to feel good about ourselves or are there no other solutions?

There is no shame nor ingenuity to re-think our social models and transformations. The true need of a poor man is not a penny but a decent life. The true concern of the elderly is not medicine but a clean breath of air and some peace. And as we settle in giving, we inherently partially forsake to build a healthy and happy world.

Let us not stop “feeding the world” but let those who can amongst us continue building a real civilization. “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”. Just don’t go teaching a man how to fish without a fish-farm :)

Z.H.