News of children having one meal a day triggers outrage
May 10th, 2009 by terry
Sandwiches
You should have been there. Wednesday’s morning news reported that when schools close for the swine flu, some children miss out on their only meal of the day. The story put me closer to the edge than I realized. The weepy spell in the car on the way into work wasn’t enough. I wish I had gotten it all out. The great guys that I work with, easy going union cabinet makers, weren’t prepared for it. Out of the blue, one innocently commented: “You’re wrong, Terry. Women can’t rule the world because they hold grudges for too long.” His wife hasn’t spoken with her sister in years. My response? Postal.
As quickly as a match ignites gasoline, I railed: “NO! Today of all days, the news reported that school closings mean some children miss out on their only meal of the day. Men have had their shot at running the world for centuries and look at what you have to show for it: a MESS! Men should now just get out of the way.” I was considerably more graphic than this. Shock. Awe. By that afternoon, and the rest of the week, I had regained my balance enough to joke with the fellas, and asked if they wanted me to take on any issues on their behalf.
In my calm moments, I know that women “running the world”, even if it were possible, which it is not, is a terrible idea. We need balance for a change. When masculine and feminine sensibilities work together to create and deliver the solutions that we desperately need, we will make head way towards solving our considerable problems. The masculine imbalance is one of the underlying causes that brought us to this precipice and now we all must work together to create a new world in which food, shelter, clothing and eduction are available for everyone.
Al Gini, professor of business ethics at Loyola’s Graduate Schoolf of Business in Chicago, spent a lot of time on the concept that acting normally in an abnormal situation is abnormal. By that yardstick, my outrage was perfectly calibrated to the appalling news that children get only one meal a day, and that is in school. What kind of country do we live in?
Thinking about children and their families being hungry and afraid pushes buttons in my head and heart that can send me into a downward spiral. I counteract it by funneling my passion into New Community Vision to foster cooperative communities in which we brainstorm together to CREATE jobs, housing and a decent life for everyone, community-by-community. Running the Numbers on Cooperatives discusses cooperatives’ startling and under reported economic impact in the United States.
[...] parents who are stretched very thin. Last year, when schools closed during the H1N1 flu scare, it eliminated the only meal that some children would receive that [...]