Hunger

I looked at my sandwich today wanting to eat it. Not because I was hungry, only because there was no reason not to. I had dinner for tonight already prepared if I wanted it. I hesitated because I had eaten half of the sandwich a few hours earlier, and half was more than enough. So to eat the rest seemed greedy. Then I thought about an Egyptian protest chant from 1974: You lead us across the water, now where is our bread going to come from?

The context was Sadat had just reclaimed the Sinai, partly through war, partly through negotiation (though it would not be formalized 'till 1978), yet people in Cairo were starving. Suddenly the reality of a military victory is so meaningless when people are going hungry.

I've never had the experience. I'm so lucky, because many people have. Today the protests are starting up again in Egypt for the same reason. People are going hungry and getting violent enough to kill ten people already. The UN has issued a report that the world (or the poor part of the world) might face a widespread famine. Wow, but I can have a sandwich the size of my face when ever I want.

I didn't eat the rest of my sandwich, I wrapped it back up and will hold on to it until tonight, or take it for lunch tomorrow. Either way, there was no need to eat it then, I can wait until I am actually hungry, until there is good reson to eat it, rather than just greed.