First of all....thank you to everyone who has committed to this challenge and who have been willing to interrupt their lives and put themselves at a disadvantage as we all tackle the many demands inherent at this time of year.
The past few days have been challenging, yes, but more importantly they have been enlightening, and motivating. You can tell yourself that you know what its like to be hungry and
be confined to eat nutritionless food for a few days, you can use your powers of imagination, or you can use lived experiences from times when you were more financially strapped. But, there's no way you can have a real sense unless you actually do it. Over the last 5 days, its been the subtle observations that have been most meaningful, ones that would have been lost if I had of relied on my own imagination.
One of the most prominent realizations for me has been around the psychological effects of hunger and a constrained diet. It's not hard to imagine what an empty stomach feels like. The emptiness, the pulling, the pangs, the anticipation. The anticipation that something delicious is going to fill that void and quell your pangs. That the meal you choose may be an hour away is of no bother, because whatever it is, is not only going to be delicious, but of your choice, with your chosen toppings and condiments, just the right amount of salt and pepper, and healthy; the meal you are eating is working into a balanced diet and is providing nourishment to your body. There's no reason to be disturbed, just some minor hunger pains to weather.
But when that anticipation is for half a bowl of Kraft Dinner made with no butter, no ketchup, a slice of dry brown bread and nothing but water to wash it down, you anticipation is tied only to a biological satisfaction of filling a cavity in your body. Food that is not what you have chosen, not what you would prefer, not prepared adequately or just the way you like it, and not satisfying that feeling of malnourishment. When I sat down on day 1 to eat my KD and bread and got half way through, after a day of feeling hungry but being ok with it because I could have a treat of Kraft Dinner in the evening, I felt depressed. Any hope I had of the food filling my stomach, or nourishing my body was abandoned. And I resented the dryness and the tastelessness of the meal. The way that I eat my food, the times of day, who I eat it with, what I eat, how good it tastes, whether it is what I crave or desire, plays a significant role in my mood, in my satisfaction, and even in my sense of self and accomplishment. Its not just an empty stomach, good nutritious food is a vital part of realizing your full potential as a healthy social individual.
And even after 5 days, I can make no claim to have walked a mile in anyone's shoes. I had the luxury of a choice even within my dictated list (ie. canned peas and carrots or canned corn), a full kitchen to prepare my meals, a secure place to store my food, a fridge to preserve food, the time to strategically plan each meal for the week, a warm, dry, private bed to sleep and dream in, and the anticipation of returning to the freedom of my regular diet.
So after 5 days, what are we supposed to have walked away with. This hasn't been an exercise to simply bring awareness to my privilege, although this is a vital awareness to hold, especially in broader and very related discussions of capital overconsumption. What I walk away with is a stronger understanding of a lived experience of poverty, and a stronger will to ensure, not that everyone in our society has enough to eat (that everyone's stomachs are simply filled), but that the systems that prevent individuals, families and communities from making autonomous decisions and choices towards our physical, mental, spiritual and social condition, are removed, and replaced. This includes putting the people's food production, distribution and consumption back into our own hands.
One small, but significant step in doing this is to increase the capabilities of this province's poor to make those decisions themselves, by increasing the ability of those receiving social assistance to choose their diet, to purchase their own food, to anticipate.
Stay tuned for a December 7th Provincial Strategic Planning meeting to figure out how we can realize these goals!! After 5 days of going through this challenge, we need to ensure that our efforts dont go to waste!
In solidarity and peace,
Mark
