(The Nationalist, 17 September 2004)
Some twenty years ago, when I was in Madagascar I saw people buy cabbage by the leaf and bread by the slice. Most adults in the capital were without footwear. The poor “washed” their clothes in open drains on the roadside since they couldn’t afford to buy water. The country’s main export crop was vanilla for use in making ice-cream – that’s now replaced by a synthetic vanilla flavour; if you read the packet you’ll notice it.
We live in an unjust world. That is neither God’s will nor part of some unalterable natural order like the law of gravity. It is the result of human decision-making, yours and mine, as well as that of politicians and bankers. There’s enough in this world for everyone’s need; there’s not enough for everyone’s greed. The problem about that is that we don’t think we’re greedy – but we are. Look at these figures from the United Nations for annual costs:
Primary education for those without it: £4 billion.
Perfumes in Europe and the USA: £8 billion.
Water and sanitation for those without it: £6 billion. (Somewhere in the world, a child dies every 15 seconds of a water-borne disease.)
Ice cream in Europe: £8 billion.
Basic health care and nutrition for those without it: £9 billion.
Pet foods in Europe and USA: £12 billion.
Primary education, water and sanitation, basic health care and nutrition: £19 billion.
Alcoholic drinks in Europe: £72 billion.
World-wide illegal drugs: £276 billion.
World-wide military spending: £538 billion.
Someone once said, ‘I’d like to ask God why he allows poverty, famine and injustice in the world when he could do something about it’. A friend answered, ‘Why don’t you?’ The questioner replied, ‘Because God might ask me the same question’.
It is a deeply unjust world. And you and I are either part of the problem, or we’re part of the answer. It’s up to us.