DON’T WASTE FOOD, SAVE LIFE

DON’T WASTE FOOD, SAVE LIFE

25,000 people are dying because of hunger every day. We are lucky that we are not one of them. But are we sensible enough to understand their pain of dying because of hunger? We have to focus only how everyone of us can solve the problem or atleast could be part of the solution. So let's sign it that we would never waste food because it is like rising the problem of "World Hunger". If organizations like "World Food Program" helping people to provide meals for them then its our role to donate them and not waste food at our side. "ANNAMPARABRAHMASWAROOPAM," says our Indian philosophy. This means that food is equal to God as told by our great ancient sayers. But we, their descendents, are we giving the same amount of respect to this age-old God? Frankly, most of us do not. Result: Millions of our fellowbeings are dying in hunger when millions of tons of food is being thrown away, wasted, discarded, whatever; for no good reason most of the times. Other times there are a few good complications because of which food is wasted. Except for them, this is a very simple problem with colossal possibilities of simple solutions. In brief it is "Don't waste food; Give it to others."

                   Wasting food is not good for anyone in anyway-to the economy, to the environment or to our own ethical justification. So if things are going wrong, we have to put them on the right track and so first we have to do fault-finding. Here we go- The basic reason behind this is degradation of ethics in men irrespective of caste, colour, creed, race ,region and religion.Scientific Inventions are creating plenty but commercial conventions are creating scarcity. Production units have become partly destruction units. Civilisation is moving forward-only to say but our values are actually moving backward. Frankly telling, there are lot of justifiable and unjustifiable reasons behind the above citations. No one can and should be blamed wholly for disrespecting this living God.     

                   Let us examine this problem from a layman's point of view.because its the easiest thing for me. Food was considered God by our ancestors and it used to be given to others piously. But now due to the plenty we have, thanks to our industrial civilisation, food is being flaundered as a sign of our wealth, never mind it being wasted in this frenzy display of prosperity. Don't do this, serve according to an individual's capability but not his stomach's elasticity. Whenever we arrange any gathering, occassion, gettogether or function just give a call to any charitable organisation and make arrangements to donate the surplus food maintaining the utmost level of decency or depute someone to donate food to the beggars waiting outside your premises. Start such a thing and it will soon catch up. I know, some people already do it.  Needless to say, everytime we eat, wether it is at home or at a function, gettogether, anytime, lets only help ourselves only to our stomach's fill. Nothing less, nothing more. Don't allow the other person to serve or force you eat against your will or fill and its your job to do so. Firmly stand on your will and tell him why its futile to make you eat more than you can or want to. If you try or are able to convince the other person successfully, then you are a member of the unorganised movement against wastage of food just like me.  Just estimate how much of productivity is lost forever when most of us discard food on our plates and imagine all the time, energy and money put on that right from the farm place by the farmer, worker in a mill, godown and then carried on by a driver to the commercial outlets, sold by the seth and to kitchen  where the chef prepares and finally puts onto your platter. Its no simple issue that such a big process comes to an end before you and you thwart it just in a second unmindful of all the countable, uncountable factors and transactions behind the food in front of your plate. The root cause of this is lack of clarity of purpose of life and degradation of moral values. Also, we are in a race from birth to death, we don't have awareness of our actions -good, bad, profit or loss(mostly from long term point of view)manners or bad habits etc. We just keep running, to schools, next offices and lastly to super speciality hospitals and we do not have a moment to brood about all the valuable trivialities of life , whether it be good or bad.. WHY ALL THIS? Because we lost respect on food and no longer treat it as precious, holy or divine as God is.

                      Its anybody's guess that there are solutions for this issue but we only lack the zeal, we only lack the urge, simply we lack the motive to solve this problem. Now, who has to bell the cat? Its WE! Anybody who reads this article or in simple terms anybody who eats food and knows that there are people starving in hunger beside his bunglow or mansion, apartment or hut. If you see someone wasting food tell them not do so. Tell them umpteen times, atleast that thought will get rooted into their mind and WILL WORK at some point. Its only half of our mission, not wasting food, which will bring them gains. The other half," give it to others" is upto them. If everyone starts doing this, this will become a national and consequently an international issue. You can't estimate the atomic power of 'WORD OF MOUTH' . When there is a national calamity or a celebrity's death, that news spreads far and wide like a fire in the forest. In the same way everyone should first recognise this as a problem, then discuss it and try to derive some solutions. PEOPLE SHOULD TALK ABOUT THIS PROBLEM!! To speak in terms of today's market economy, this cause should be marketed. Say, by whom? By any organisation that works for human welfare at its every level. This concept of food being equal to God should first be included in the textbooks of small children. This is where the strongest foundation should be laid about this issue. They can work wonders and teach everyone most effectively than any management gurus or spiritual messiahs. Even I got inspired by the lesson taught by my teacher in my third standard.  Next ladies should be in the focus of the voluntary organisations because they are the home ministers and they are the makers of a family's destiny. Tell them how much income is being thrown away everyday in the dishes they do, how much of alternative value lies in the food that gets wasted while she feeds her children in their lunch boxes or on the dining table , how much does it amount to per annum, per decade, its interest and the alternative uses of that income and soon she will get to task. She would train the entire family, especially the children once again, most effectively. Women have lead great movements and this is not a big deal for them. Moreover this movement has something to do with their self-respect because they have the right to demand respect for the food they prepare. Women take lot of strain, stress and play with fire day in and day out to prepare food irrespective of the time, energy and money available. If the food prepared with such an effort goes into the drain, shouldn't it hurt them? Even if they prepare the food with ease in a cooker, oven or something else, would they keep quite when valuable coins are thrown into the drain? Yes food is an economic resource and wasting it like throwing coins or currency into the drain. Women may disrespect economic resources BUT WOULD THEY DISRESPECT GODDESS DHAANYA LAKSHMI? Throwing food unnecessarily is equal to showing disrespect to Goddess Lakshmi. For that matter, Quran speaks against wastage of food and Christianity to-day is internationally devoted to charitable activities. Now half of the job is done. The other half is to convince men, commercial organisations and government about the seriousness of this problem. 

                           Men must be convinced by women and children and equally media. Newspapers, magazines and television channels and also last but not the least internet not only one but each one should take the baton and move towards a socially aware society. Media has the highest responsibility or let us say power in this movement because they have the torchlight in their hands. They can make or break things. Media can convince commercial organisations and government partly in the short term and fully in the long term. This is a layman's vent to her feelings. They are many other dimensions, factors and solutions involved in this  issue which are a bit complicated but this is my agony I experience when I see a small baby, boy or girl, an old woman or man crying out of hunger and a rich person beside that place throwing food. Gandhiji once told that if God were to appear to the millions of hungry people, it would be in the form of food. Please don't waste food, give it to others because "ANNAM PARABRAHMASWAROOPAM." 
Food waste in the United States has become a growing problem for our environment. Research shows that on average, 27% of all edible food is wasted every year in the U.S. The cost to not only manufacture this food, but also to dispose of the waste, is costing us billions of dollars every year. Help our economy, our ecosystem, and your wallet by being creative when it comes to throwing out your food. Here are some tips and tricks to make your trash go a long way.

Prof. John Kurakar