Both – And

Help as many as you can

October 13, 2010 (Wednesday)
Today, October 13, is Pet Obesity day. In the United States, this is a growing problem, with millions of dogs and cats at risk because they are overweight. It is well known that humans have health issues directly associated with their own obesity.
Three days from now, October 16, will mark the celebration of World Food Day, a United Nations emphasis that aims to make us all aware of the opposite problem of not having enough food.
For years, Southern Baptists have observed “World Hunger Day.” This is a significant problem throughout the world. One in eight Americans do not have enough food to eat. Around the world, a person starves to death every 3.6 seconds. Many of these deaths are children under 5 years of age.
Americans attack this problem in various ways. The immediate problem is attacked by sending food, and that is being done. In the longer term, organizations that teach people how to feed themselves are hard at work. In the political arena, legislation is constantly being fashioned that fights world hunger on many fronts. Still, it is a heart-rending situation.
It seems ironic that many pets are being overfed while many people are starving. Mentioning this and making the comparison is probably a cheap shot on my part, because the answers to our dilemmas are rarely “either-or” but “both-and” instead. We need to stop making such comparisons of situations that have nothing to do with each other, while at the same time becoming much more serious about solving these agonizing problems.
Hard times, economically, inevitably bring comparisons between the “Haves” and “Have Nots.” All such thinking is unproductive. We need to focus on doing what we can to help.
There is an old saying, attributed to John Wesley, that is worthy of becoming our motto: