We know the human body can do pretty remarkable things, but I learned a couple of new ones this week—at least they were new to me.
When we breathe we favor one nostril over the other. It’s true. We don’t realize we are doing it, but our bodies give one nostril a break while the other is active.Then there’s the fact that we are taller in the morning. Also, our stomachs are flatter so clothes tend to hang better. But our taller, leaner supermodel selves are short lived because gravity does its thing as our cartilage compresses, making us slightly shorter and causing our organs to settle.
And then, not surprisingly, the eye is the fastest muscle in the body, because the orbicularis oculi is capable of contracting in less than 1/100th of a second. When we describe something as happening in the blink of an eye, it’s no joke. Not unrelated, we blink more when we talk and less when we read so that’s why we get more tired when we read. Alright everyone…take a moment and blink…so you can keep reading.
When our bodies operate as intended, much of what it does goes unnoticed. But when something goes wrong, even something small, it can have a pretty large impact.
At the end of July, a teeny tiny part of my body turned on me. A molar. Now a full adult set of teeth makes up a mere 0.06% of the body, so extrapolate one tooth out of the overall composition and it is a small part indeed. But when there’s a problem with even that little part, it can have quite the impact on the body as a whole. For me those affects included being unable to sleep or eat so I was very grateful for the care I received from my dentist and pharmacist. But in the first days of dealing with an abscess, I was struck by how much my entire being was affected by such a small piece of me. I couldn’t ignore it. It had to be dealt with. Yet there are so many issues—affecting smaller parts of our world—that we seem to conveniently ignore, despite the pain that is being experienced.
South Sudan, which makes up 0.14% of the world’s population continues to face a growing economic crisis with food insecurity becoming an even greater problem. Currently 60% of the population faces extreme hunger and in some regions it is being classified as catastrophic.
Then there’s Afghanistan that sits at 0.5% of the world’s population. It is estimated it is very close to seeing near universal poverty with 97% of Afghans living below the international poverty line of $1.90 a day. A steep rise in food prices has meant 90% of that tiny income is being used to buy food. Many are going hungry.
Look at what’s happening in Somalia. Making up just 0.2% of the population on the planet, it ranked as the hungriest country in the world in 2021. There is an 11.7% child mortality rate, while 32% of the country’s children are stunted in growth due to lack of basic nutrition. Things have only gotten worse in 2022.
These fellow human beings represent smaller groups as part of the overall world population, but they are in such pain. The global family is experiencing terrible impacts in so many places but far too often, because we don’t feel it, we simply go on without giving it much regard. For the first time in many years, Yemen is not in the top 10 places of countries in crisis. Did things get better there? Not even close. They slipped out of the top 10 because other countries became so much worse. Let that sink in for a moment.
When a part of our body gives us trouble, it is best we pay attention and take care of it otherwise it will likely get worse and impact more and more areas of our life. Well, parts of the world are experiencing overwhelming trouble. So are many parts of our country. And our province. And right within our community. Hunger and poverty are impacting the lives of so many people who are finding themselves in circumstances beyond their making. The issues creating the pain are complex. The obstacles loom. The problems truly are big. But it can’t mean the people suffering can be overlooked. That makes it worse.
There are people in our town needing food. There are millions across the planet needing food. No, we can’t feed them all. But…perhaps we each can help feed one family here at home, and another one around the world. Choose an organization or agency. They are countless in number.
One small tooth is enough to do something about. Let’s be sure one hungry person compels us to big action. That’s my outlook.
