Most people have probably heard about the new, stringent benefit rules in UK whereby someone may have to wait longer before qualifying for benefit. This has led to the growing need for food banks to help tie over those in dire need.
However, I could hardly believe what I heard on the news today, i.e. that donated food is being returned back to the food banks because people cannot afford to heat it up!!! In these current times I find this shocking and appalling. It seems to indicate a worrying trend between the rich and poor and is totally unacceptable.
Apparently the recession is over. Rejoice!
Edit: Wait a sec. "I have SIX children." She's rich. I can't afford one.
Something has gone very sadly wrong - but IMO there is no one body or political part or organisation to blame...its a systemic failure on a massive scale to which there is no easy answer. One thing is certain political to-ing and fro-ing over who has the best solution isn't providing ANY sort of solution.....and I speak as a paid up member of a political party!!!!
Sad and shameful for all of us our entire race. No matter who is responsible. We all are collectively.
Sad state of affairs. It is close to home now....but this kind of depravity has to do with colossal greed. That I must snatch from you to quench my own depravity...so to speak.
No one has to go to bed hungry, not here not in Africa not anywhere. The system keeps blaming explosion of population etc for dysfunction but it all boils down to the insatiable greed alone that has taken hold of consciousness. Unbridled greed that has turned itself into a perversion. Apathy is the mother of this greed. Greed can happily sacrifice the other,other's family, the town, the entire nation, civilisation, the planet....everything... to quench that insatiable lust.
It devours itself in the end and self destruction...it implodes. The whole system starts again....balance of nature purges starts again....then the system goes full circle. That is how the life cycle goes on. Has gone on with several before us will continue infinitely after us.
We are seeing many many ugly faces of this consciousness systematically screwing up others, the planet, communities,cultures...impoverishing, victimising the other. Sub-humanity playing out. We need to become humans again. To reach out, to open our hearts and souls to the other. Get over mine and thine itself.
Truth is When 'the other' hurts I hurt too, but apathy cannot see that simple fact.
Vishwa kutumbakam....the Vedic concept of the entire world as one family is the only answer to our seemingly very very complex problems.
When the other hurts, go Hungry feel victimised....I too have all that suffering right there in the fibre of my being. This kind of relating alone makes us humans. That kind of sensibility is not lost, just been forgotten about. It needs to be remembered and practised. Unless I feel for the next person as I do for my own welfare....the state of affairs cannot change.
In doing so we heal us, the whole is healed, but one must do it within their own little circle of experience. Staying open in heart and living through poverty of heart. Which alone is the abundant state one can attain personally as well as socially. Not the way everyone is chasing abundance. You feel abundant not by keep adding more in your pot, but by opening one's heart.
May simplicity dawn in our hearts
Most people have probably heard about the new, stringent benefit rules in UK whereby someone may have to wait longer before qualifying for benefit. This has led to the growing need for food banks to help tie over those in dire need.
However, I could hardly believe what I heard on the news today, i.e. that donated food is being returned back to the food banks because people cannot afford to heat it up!!! In these current times I find this shocking and appalling. It seems to indicate a worrying trend between the rich and poor and is totally unacceptable.
I have worked with young people for years they are put in hostels at a young age often with drug users, sex workers, alcoholics and people with mental health problems Ive given out food parcels and have always been asked for ring pull cans because they dont have a tin opener, we eventually go together with another charity who provided furniture to make sure the people got food parcels had a microwave.
The reason I mention the tin opener is that we found that my people dont have skills for life they dont know who to operate a key system to get gas or electric or how to access the benefits system let alone abuse it in some case we found people living in a room with a mattress on the floor and bags of food given to them by charities but unable to open or cook the food yet their were knives which would open the tin and a cooker there to cook it but when they turned the knob on the cooker and no electricity came on they assumed it was broke they simply needed electricity put on their card for the meter.
Many sat there on their own all day or were that frightened only visited their rooms to sleep prefering to live on the streets in the day eventually getting pulled into a life if drunks, drink and debt and selling themselves, eventually becoming a part of the benefits system everyone moans about and yet if skills for life and early intervention were taught ignorance is challenged the sad fact I found working with the young is that 4 or 5 brothers and sisters had gone through the system before each other and so many agencies are paid to intervene to stop happening yet it happens again and again once I saw a 16 year old who i knew his 18 year old brother was in one hostel and and his 19 year old sister was in supported housing the other sister 22 was a sex worker and older brother was a drug user yet they were still 2 more at home at school bound to come into the system. The sad fact is that it is the function of poverty to keep others in work some one has to write the letters of recommendation to the food bank to get the food parcel someone has process the housing benefit and benefit requests and there is a whole band of health professionals willing to deal with the effects of drugs, drink and trauma and disease so perhaps a dose of common sense and realisation that skills for life is what the under class need a bit of knowledge is a good thing
Thanks for sharing this stark insight into how poverty (amongst other factors) can affect people's lives. Often it is so hidden - politicians have little clue do they?
Just heard a latest statistic on how many accessed food banks last year in UK - 350,000!
I agree its so sad that the UK is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, yet still we have such a huge divide between rich and poor.
Just heard today that now students are having to turn to food banks to make ends meet (here in UK). o_O