Today's poem was written after reading about the terrible situation in Yemen. But it could be any war zone, where people are displaced and go hungry. We have a moral duty to help them, we who have been given so much, must share it with others.It is something I feel strongly about, and I hope the poem brings that out.
On harvest festival, everyone was handed out small packets of 5 jaffa cakes, but unevenly. This is how our children saw the world's resources, some having lots, and some having little, but in fact enough for all. As we shared the jaffa cakes, there was enough for everyone,, a lesson I hope was taken home by the children.
C.P. Snow put it so well when he made a call for magnanimity:
I have said before, and I shall say it again, because it is the most imperative social truth of our age, that about one-third of the world is rich and two-thirds of the world is poor. By this I mean something very simple. In North America, in most of Europe, in Australia and New Zealand, and now in the Soviet Union, the great majority of the population get enough to eat and don't die before their time. That is what "riches" means, in a world whose harshness those of us born lucky don't willing admit.
In the rest of the world the opposite is true. The great majority of the population don't get enough to eat; and, from the time they are born, their chances of life are less than half of ours, These are crude words, but we are talking about crude things, toil, hunger, death. For most of our brother men, this is the social condition.
It is different from our social condition. That is one reason why there is a direct call upon our magnanimity. If we do not show it now, then both our hopes and souls have shriveled. It may be a longish time fore men at large are much concerned with hopes and souls again.
If you wish to donate, go here.
https://www.savethechildren.org.uk/where-we-work/middle-east/yemen
Save the Children of Yemen
There is a famine far away
Where every day they fall
In hunger pains are crucified
And crying out to all
And who will speak, and who will tell
The pains they have to bear
They pray for help from all of us
Each child that suffered there
Oh land of plenty, be forgiven,
And seek the common good
And bring to earth a glimpse of heaven
To war zones soaked in blood.
They have so little, not enough
And our besetting sin
No refugees, we lock the gate
And let not starving in
Stretch out the hand, show all are loved
And feed the hungry too
Bring hope to warzone soaked in blood
and try God’s works to do.
On harvest festival, everyone was handed out small packets of 5 jaffa cakes, but unevenly. This is how our children saw the world's resources, some having lots, and some having little, but in fact enough for all. As we shared the jaffa cakes, there was enough for everyone,, a lesson I hope was taken home by the children.
C.P. Snow put it so well when he made a call for magnanimity:
I have said before, and I shall say it again, because it is the most imperative social truth of our age, that about one-third of the world is rich and two-thirds of the world is poor. By this I mean something very simple. In North America, in most of Europe, in Australia and New Zealand, and now in the Soviet Union, the great majority of the population get enough to eat and don't die before their time. That is what "riches" means, in a world whose harshness those of us born lucky don't willing admit.
In the rest of the world the opposite is true. The great majority of the population don't get enough to eat; and, from the time they are born, their chances of life are less than half of ours, These are crude words, but we are talking about crude things, toil, hunger, death. For most of our brother men, this is the social condition.
It is different from our social condition. That is one reason why there is a direct call upon our magnanimity. If we do not show it now, then both our hopes and souls have shriveled. It may be a longish time fore men at large are much concerned with hopes and souls again.
If you wish to donate, go here.
https://www.savethechildren.org.uk/where-we-work/middle-east/yemen
Save the Children of Yemen
There is a famine far away
Where every day they fall
In hunger pains are crucified
And crying out to all
And who will speak, and who will tell
The pains they have to bear
They pray for help from all of us
Each child that suffered there
Oh land of plenty, be forgiven,
And seek the common good
And bring to earth a glimpse of heaven
To war zones soaked in blood.
They have so little, not enough
And our besetting sin
No refugees, we lock the gate
And let not starving in
Stretch out the hand, show all are loved
And feed the hungry too
Bring hope to warzone soaked in blood
and try God’s works to do.
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1 comment:
I have stumbled across your blog by chance and the writings of Jostein Gaarder!! I know nothing about you but my brief visit makes me think that Jersey is lucky to have you and perhaps you should think about spreading your wings a little! Thank you
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