The Language of Hunger

Text of a talk delivered at St. Mary’s University for Ozanam Day 2022: Hunger a Collaborative Response, by CPI Director Derek Cook.

The Language of Hunger

I’m not sure how many people were aware of this, but August 19th was World Orangutan Day. Orangutans are marvelously intelligent and social creatures that live exclusively on the Indonesian islands of Borneo and Sumatra. Unfortunately, they are critically endangered due to their habitat being destroyed largely to make way for the production of palm oil.

The name orangutan is an interesting one. It comes from the combination of two Indonesian words: orang (person) and utan (forest). So an orangutan is literally a “forest person”. I learned this during some time I spent in my youth working in a remote Indonesian village. In that context I needed to learn the Indonesian language, and quickly.

Language is fascinating as it gives a unique window into the perspective of other people and cultures. In the Indonesian language, for example, the expression “Thank You” is “Terimah Kasih”. Terimah is the word to receive, and kasih to give back. So thanks is a reciprocal relationship of both receiving and giving back, not merely a feeling of gratitude in a one-way exchange.

Following my return from Indonesia, I moved to Montreal where I needed to learn another language – French. This was somewhat problematic as my default second language had become Indonesian. As a consequence, when someone spoke to me in French my automatic impulse was to respond in Indonesian which produced some very puzzled looks.

Like Indonesian, exploring the French language also gives us some insights and perspectives. Turning to the topic of hunger, in French the condition of hunger is expressed as “J’ai faime”. The word hunger (faime) is modified by the verb “avoir” which is “to have”. So, hunger is something that one has. In this case, it is viewed as something imposed on but separate from you. It is a thing you possess and could conceivably throw away if possible.

In contrast, in English we say “I am hungry”. The word hunger here is modified by the verb “to be”. So in our worldview, hunger is not something external to oneself, but has woven itself into the fabric of our being. It becomes a part of you, intrinsic to the fibre of yourself. Hunger is personified in the person who experiences it.

 The State of Hunger: Impacts of Food Insecurity

As a state of being, hunger affects the whole person – physically, socially and spiritually.

Physically, hunger can cause negative impacts to children’s long-term physical and mental health; it can increase their risk of conditions such as depression and asthma, increase the risk of suicidal ideation, and impact school performance and development. Among adults, food insecurity is linked to overall poorer health and chronic conditions such as depression, diabetes and heart disease. At its most extreme, food insecurity is also associated with premature mortality, with the average lifespan of adults from severely food insecure households being nine years shorter than those from food secure households.

But hunger also has important social impacts. Food is an important part of our social life and the inability to provide adequate food can be associated with feelings of shame and a fear of blame. This may lead people to detach themselves from social life. Further, food is often an important form of socializing and the inability to offer food can lead to reduced socialization, particularly for children when parents cannot afford to offer food to childhood friends. Food is also a communal good, as we produce and distribute it as a society. The production and distribution of food therefore also has an element of power and social control as we determine who has access to what type, quality and quantity of food.

But there is also a spiritual dimension to hunger and food. In the Christian tradition, food plays an important part in the liturgy of the church as we ritually partake in the last supper. Food is also a metaphor, with the word of God being referred to as the bread of life. Food also featured prominently in various miracles, such as the provision of Manna, or Jesus’ feeding the multitudes with a loaf of bread, that demonstrated God’s provision. In fact, in Matthew 6, Jesus admonishes us not to worry about what we will eat, because God provides for humanity.

While this is a reassuring promise, it can also provoke a crisis of faith. For if, according to Jesus, God has provided for humankind, why is there hunger? This could lead us to the conclusion that God is unable to provide as promised, or that while God may be able to provide, God is somehow unwilling to do so. Both of these conclusions are profoundly problematic, particularly for those experiencing hunger. This reasoning plays into one of the great myths of our modern age – the myth of scarcity – that there is not in fact enough for everyone.

 Food Insecurity in Canada and Calgary

If we look at the facts of food insecurity, this certainly does seem to be the case. Globally, an estimated 820 million people hover on the brink of starvation. In Canada 16% of people living in the provinces experienced food insecurity in 2019, while in Calgary, over 1 in 10 households are reported to be food insecure. Meanwhile, in Nunavut, almost half of the population are food insecure. And, although not a perfect indicator of food insecurity, reliance on food banks in Canada increased by 20% between 2019 and 2021, with 1.3 million Canadians visiting a food bank in March of that year. In recent months, the problem of inflation has further increased the cost of food likely leading to even more people facing challenges meeting their food needs. Hunger in Canada, however, presents us with a troubling paradox. Despite the apparent extent of food insecurity, an estimated $31B of food is wasted every year, accounting for almost one-third of Canada’s annual food production. How, then, can we speak of scarcity?

The Causes of Food Insecurity

So, if the problem of hunger is not one of food scarcity, where does it come from? The causes of food insecurity are complex, however, food insecurity essentially stems from the inability of people to afford the food that they need. Income levels impact food insecurity, including low-wage jobs and precarious employment conditions. Insufficient Social Assistance benefits render households, especially single-person households, at a high risk for being food insecure; in fact, one in five households that rely on government benefits are severely food insecure.

Other factors that affect the ability to afford nutritious food include the cost of other basic needs, such as housing, where trade-offs must be made between buying food and paying rent or utility bills. Similarly, unexpected costs or events, such as major repairs or a sudden job loss can affect the ability to afford food. The cost of food itself can also pose a barrier, and recent increases in the price of food may affect lower-income households more severely. Finally, social factors can affect food security such as the lack of transportation to access healthy food, the cultural appropriateness of available and affordable food, lack of storage for healthy food, and a lack of time to prepare healthy food.

Who Is Food Insecure?

To understand food insecurity, it is also helpful to look at who is more likely to experience it. While anyone can experience food insecurity, in general, the risk is greatest for single adults and lone-parent families, Indigenous persons, recent immigrants, and persons with a disability.

Not surprisingly, those who are food insecure mirrors are also largely those who struggle with poverty. And those who struggle with poverty today are largely the same as those who struggled with it throughout Scripture. The theologian Nicholas Wolterstorff notes that there are four groups of people named in Scripture that are almost synonymous with “the poor”: namely, the widow, the alien, the afflicted and the fatherless. It is for these groups of people that Scripture and the prophets repeatedly cry out for justice. Nearly 3,000 years later, it is these same groups of people who remain relegated to the margins of society, struggling with poverty and hunger.

The Language of Justice

This brings us back to Matthew 6 and Jesus’ affirmation that God has provided abundantly for creation. The key to this abundance, Jesus tells us, is in seeking the kingdom of God. There is a danger here in interpreting this to mean that if we simply pray hard enough and follow the commandments that food and other good things will fall into our lap. By this reasoning, we might also be tempted to infer that if those good things haven’t come to us, it is the result of some moral failure on our part. Indeed, this reasoning has justified much stigma and control over the lives of the poor throughout history to the present day.

But what does it mean to “seek the kingdom of God”? To answer this, we need to reflect on the nature of that kingdom. What exactly is the kingdom of God? First of all, the kingdom of God is not a kingdom of powerful rulers but of servanthood. Nelson Kraybill calls this the “Upside Down Kingdom”. In this kingdom the last are first and the first are last. This is the kingdom described so beautifully in the Sermon on the Mount where it is the meek not the strong who are set to inherit the earth.

Secondly, the kingdom of God is a kingdom of community. Whereas we esteem the rugged individual, God’s kingdom is one of inter- rather than in-dependence. This is clear right from creation where God says it is not right for man to be alone. Then Cain rhetorically asks “am I my brother’s keeper” and the implied response is a resounding “Yes”. Moreover, God’s covenantal relationship is with the community of Israel, not individuals. It was through the collective power of community that people survived and thrived in the wilderness, not the power and strength of individuals.

While there is power in community, there is equally the danger that community becomes exclusive. Humans are very good at drawing boundaries around who is “in” and who is “out”. This tendency is particularly strong during times of perceived scarcity or threat where the urge to “protect our own” surfaces. This tribal instinct is a trait shared with all species. Humans alone, however, have the capacity to expand the tribe, enlarging the boundaries of who is in. It is this act of expanding the boundaries that Jesus calls us to. For God’s kingdom is one of radical inclusion.

Notions of the pure and the impure were shattered by Jesus’ ministry and turned on their head. Rather than an exclusive members only club, Jesus’ overriding concern for those on the outside demonstrated that the kingdom of God is one of hospitality where the unlikely are invited to the banquet table. Through His life, Jesus literally embodied the poor and outcast, stating that whatever is done to them is done to Him. The test of one’s love of God becomes one of how you treat your neighbour, and the kicker is that it turns out that everyone is your neighbour.

This leads to the final important aspect of the kingdom of God, which is justice. In fact, the word “righteousness” can also be translated as “justice”. So, when we are instructed to seek the righteousness of God, this can equally mean seeking God’s justice. Cornel West once stated that “justice is what love looks like in public.” This is the message of Jesus at the start of His ministry when he boldly states that he has come for the liberation of the oppressed. It is also the warning of Isaiah who declares that God is not interested in pious religious observances while justice is being denied to the poor and outcast. If you pursue justice, Isaiah says, then your light will shine and you will experience abundance.

What God requires, then, is not more individual “holiness”, but justice. This involves breaking down all the structures that serve to exclude people from full participation in the life of the community. The American evangelist Jim Wallace tells us that the poor and excluded members of society are like the canary in the coalmine – they tell us something about the conditions in the world around us and serve as a warning. If we create and support conditions of injustice, that injustice affects and diminishes us all. Likewise, if we create conditions of justice we all thrive.

Justice in Practice

So what does this mean in practice?

Dignity and the Practice of Charity

The first thing I believe this means in practice is that the preservation of human dignity is our first priority in meeting the needs of people who present themselves to us. Foremost, dignity involves giving people a choice. When people can choose the kinds of food they want for themselves and their families their dignity is preserved. Some good examples of providing choice in the provision of food are the use of gift cards as opposed to hampers, or setting out various food products that people can choose among. Dignity is also preserved when we provide food in a welcoming environment that does not require people to reveal themselves to others. Community suppers where all are welcome, not just those who may be food insecure, is hospitality in action that maintains dignity, as all share the same food at the same table.

Leveling the Playing the Field: The Principle of Terimah Kasih

The second implication for practice is the necessity to overcome the power dynamics inherent in helping relationships. The upside down kingdom of servanthood that Jesus invites us into is one where as servants we relinquish power and control and place ourselves at the feet of the other. Servanthood respects peoples’ stories and does not ask invasive questions or impose processes that can bear implicit judgement.

Levelling the playing field also involves giving the opportunity for reciprocity. I recall being asked by a woman on the street once for some change, which I provided. She thanked me and then reached into her bag and pulled out a granola bar and gave it to me. At first I was reluctant to accept this gift, but then realized the importance of it. In that act, what was a disempowering encounter of asking for help was transformed into a sharing of gifts where we each gave and received and maintained our dignity.

This is what I call the principle of Terimah Kasih – “I receive and give back”. In research we recently conducted on the food assistance system during the pandemic, we learned that many people did not want free food, they just wanted more affordable food. Providing opportunities for people to contribute something in exchange for food maintains dignity and restores a sense of equanimity in what can otherwise be a demeaning encounter. A good example of providing opportunities for such mutual exchange is through “pay what you can” grocery stores. Collective kitchens where people share the cost of food and prepare it together is another way of providing a way for people to be equal partners in the sharing of food.

Food as a Right

The third implication for practice is that how we speak about food matters. We need to move away from speaking about the provision of food as charity, and instead speak about food as a fundamental human right. When we understand food as a gift of the Creator who has provided abundantly for all, the idea of charity no longer makes sense. We are all the beneficiaries of God’s abundance and cannot be in a position to deny food to another. This is the principle of justice. This principle is actually embedded in international law. The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to which Canada is a signatory, affirms the right of everyone to an adequate standard of living, including adequate food.

Looking at food insecurity this way understands that there are “certain rights that everyone is entitled to, regardless of who they are or where they come from”. What this may mean in practice is that we don’t question people about why they need food, or cast judgement on whatever situation has left them food insecure. Our role is simply to ensure that they are provided with what they have a right to. This also alters the power dynamic in the relationship as the demeaning position of asking for help shifts and people instead can claim what they are entitled to. Thus we say “Give us this day our daily bread”  … not … “Please may I have some bread today if you don’t mind.”

The other important thing about rights is that you can’t separate them. The right to food cannot be divorced from other rights, such as the right to a fair income. Meagre Social Assistance rates that destine people to hunger, or poverty wages that don’t allow people to earn enough to put food on the table should be an affront to all who care about justice. Raising these concerns with those in positions of power is an important way to address the root causes of hunger.

The Importance of Community

Lastly, a justice approach must also affirm the power of community. We are social beings and we meet our needs together. While our society prizes independence and competition, it is in fact our ability to cooperate rather than compete that has ensured our survival as a species. Too often we pejoratively view those who need assistance as “dependent” when the truth is we are all inter-dependent on each other. In fact, in most cases the problem facing those who are in need of support is not that they are too dependent but that they are too independent. Poverty is a lonely condition and isolation is frequently both a cause and result. Creating opportunities for authentic engagement in community where people can establish bonds of friendship without fear of judgement is a powerful source of strength and resilience. In the end, my neighbour’s strength is my strength.

There is Enough for All

Returning to Matthew 6, these principles are I believe at the root of Jesus’ assurance that God has provided for us and that there is enough for all – if only we seek God’s kingdom of justice, service and community. This notion of abundance is in fact at the root of Calgary’s poverty reduction strategy which is called Enough for All. The phrase “Enough for All” is not an aspirational statement, but a declaration that there IS in fact enough for all. Setting aside the narrative of scarcity allows us to embrace the abundance that is ever present around and within us. I would like to close with a poem by a wise theologian, Walter Brueggemann who states all of this far more eloquently and succinctly than I have been able to. It is called:

On Generosity.

“On our own, we conclude:
there is not enough to go around

we are going to run short
of money
of love
of grades
of publications
of sex
of beer
of members
of years
of life

we should seize the day
seize our goods
seize our neighbours goods
because there is not enough to go around

and in the midst of our perceived deficit
you come
you come giving bread in the wilderness
you come giving children at the 11th hour
you come giving homes to exiles
you come giving futures to the shut down
you come giving joy to the dead
you come

and we watch
and take food we did not grow and
life we did not invent and
future that is gift and gift and gift and
families and neighbours who sustain us
when we did not deserve it.

It dawns on us – late rather than soon-
that you “give food in due season
you open your hand
and satisfy the desire of every living thing.”

By your giving, break our cycles of imagined scarcity
override our presumed deficits
quiet our anxieties of lack
transform our perceptual field to see
the abundance ... mercy upon mercy
blessing upon blessing.

Sink your generosity deep into our lives
that your much-ness may expose our false lack
that endlessly receiving we may endlessly give
so that the world may be made new,
without greedy lack, but only wonder,
without coercive need but only love,
without destructive greed but only praise
without aggression and invasiveness ...
all things new ...
all around us, toward us and
by us

all things new.

Finish your creation, in wonder, love and praise.”

-        Terimah Kasih