Microstory 305: Food for Survival

This is an experimental Stepwisdom microstory. The introduction can be found in Microstory 300. More to follow.

There’s a huge movement in this country for the implementation of healthier eating. That’s a great thing, and I applaud anyone for making improvements in their dietary habits, but I want to make sure it doesn’t take away from another global issue: hunger. There are people in this world who are not able to find food in the first place. You probably, at one point, said that you were starving, but you probably don’t understand the full extent of what that means. That’s okay; I’m not the semantics police, and I’m not here to tell you that your so-called “first world problems” will never be relevant until massive world problems are solved. Just always be aware of what’s going on in the world around you, and don’t take your life or your resources for granted. For some people, it doesn’t matter what they eat. They don’t care about carbohydrates, or sugars. They’re not counting points or buying organic. They’re just eating what they can. Like water, food is a vital component of survival. Food gives us the nutrition we need to maintain homeostasis, generate energy, and perpetuate organ function. But there is something to the act of eating itself that keeps us going. And I don’t mean psychologically. As you eat, your stomach stretches out, and tells your brain that that’s enough. This is why we can’t so easily pack all our daily requirements into oral supplements or intravenous solutions. If you ever find yourself lost in the wilderness, with no food, you might have to find some. Do research now on how to conduct an edibility test, so that you never know what it’s like to experience true hunger. It takes awhile, but you can never be too careful. If you don't have time for an edibility test, you don't have time to live.