The Bad Kind of Funk

I'm bad about letting the tragedies of the world weigh me down, and I occasionally spiral into a blue funk.

On my drive home yesterday, I listened to a story on NPR's All Things Considered about rising food prices afflicting impoverished nations. For example, food prices have increased 40 percent in Haiti, a country where the average income is two dollars a day. As a result riots have broken out in the country. As a parent, it would be extremely heart wrenching to stand helplessly and watch my child starve. I can't think of a crueler injustice in the world.

Unfortunately, these stories of starving nations aren't new. In the 38-years I've lived, you think someone would develop some solutions to this age-old problem. Some countries have an abundance of food, so you think that the solution would be to simply spread the wealth to poorer countries. It's a basic concept we learn in preschool - share. However, the principles I learned in the sandbox of my youth don't apply to the world..

I won the lottery win I was born. I was born in the United States. I had great parents. I've never gone to bed hungry. I had the opportunity to obtain a college degree. I strive to not take any of this for granted, but I still tend to occasionally whine and complain when I have a bad day. I feel guilty about this.

I also feel guilty about having a blog celebrating cooking, food, and eating when so many people in the world go without the basic necessities of life. I'm trying to come to terms with this guilt, and I've spent time thinking about what I can do to change the world. I've also thought about how my blog can transcend frivolity and become a force of change.

I don't know. Maybe I'm taking myself too seriously. Or maybe we all too often stand with our heads in the sand and underestimate the power of the individual.