The Paradox of Hunger: A World of Contrasts

Today, 16 October 2024, as we celebrate World Food Day, I can’t help but reflect on a paradox that often leaves me speechless: on one hand, millions of children around the world suffer from hunger, while on the other, in contexts of abundance, many young people struggle with anorexia.

According to the FAO, over 828 million people suffer from chronic hunger. Each year, about 3.1 million children under the age of five die due to malnutrition. These figures, reported in FAO and UNICEF reports, tell a heartbreaking story. Reading these statistics, I can’t help but think how incredible it is that, in such an interconnected world, food scarcity continues to claim lives.

But, turning our gaze towards more fortunate societies, we face another side of hunger: anorexia. This illness affects about 1 in 100 people, with a mortality rate ranging from 5% to 10%. Sources like the National Eating Disorders Association warn of the severity of this phenomenon. Here, food becomes an enemy, while social pressure and unrealistic beauty ideals push many young women to refuse nourishment.

This contrast strikes me deeply: on one hand, there are people fighting for a meal, on the other, those who choose not to eat. In a world that should ensure food for all, we witness a situation where some die of hunger, while others suffer from self-imposed starvation. It’s as if there’s an invisible line separating these two realities, but both are expressions of a broader crisis: the crisis of our relationship with food and with ourselves.

But how can we address this situation? The first thing we can do is talk about it. Discuss food disparities, listen to the stories of those who suffer, and work to raise awareness. We cannot ignore that there are people dying of hunger while others are trapped in a battle against food. It’s an issue that concerns us all, and each of us has a role to play.

On this day, I invite you to reflect on these diverse yet interconnected realities. What can we do, in our small way, to contribute to change? How can we support those in need, both globally and locally? The questions are many and the answers not always simple, but it’s essential to start a dialogue and do our part.