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Challenge.03
We don't have to go hungry very often, so maybe choosing to do so voluntarily for just one meal can help us empathize. Skip a meal and donate the $15 to an organization like World Vision (or a non-profit of your choice) that is working to get food to people in impoverished countries

Response.02 - Eric T.

I decided to do the challenge on Tuesday, June 17th by skipping breakfast. The following is a running diary of my thoughts.

9:30AM - Woke up 2 and a half hours ago, which is probably the earliest I've gotten up all year. I get hungrier when I get up earlier, so I'm definitely feeling like I need to scavenge for food. For some reason Cinnabon is coming to mind...

9:44AM - Just read the blog entries for previous challenges on the grxfremont website. I think having your mind occupied on either work, sports news, or just web browsing seems to trick the body into forgetting that it needs food. It's been almost 12 hours since I've eaten anything but I don't feel particularly hungry. I kinda feel bad for not feeling hungry but what am I supposed do to about it? Think about food?

10:13AM - I guess it's kind of hard to empathize with hunger when there's so many readily available means of getting food. I don't even consider not having food as an option, it's usually more of a struggle to decide what kind of food I want for lunch. And since I pretty much eat out everyday, the variety and quality of food I get everyday is usually pretty satisfying. A bad lunch would be like eating at the cafeteria, but not having lunch at all hadn't really occurred to me.

10:39AM - Feeling a slight acidic burn in the stomach, guess it means my stomach is starting to get hungry. I took a look at the World Vision website and they had a short video with crying children and listed the fact that 1 child dies every 7 seconds. It's a devastating statistic but I've heard it so many times I'm totally desensitized to it. Maybe this is something I have to see to really understand.

11:07AM - Lunch approaches! I'm already thinking about wraps at the cafeteria. I guess now's a good time to do the World Vision thing. I think I'm going to try doing the sponsor a child program, I'm hoping that perhaps a bit of commitment and a name/face will bring compassion that's more than just a one time deal.

11:26AM - Done and done. I'm ready for lunch and be thankful for food.

Some final thoughts:

Skipping a meal was pretty easy for me, but empathizing with those whose poverty I can't even comprehend is hard. I guess part of it is from living in a country where not only do we have an abundance of food, but we often eat in excess of what we need. I suppose the appropriate response to our abundance should be thankfulness for what we have and the desire to share and meet the needs of others.

Read Response.01

Read Response.03

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