Last Updated on March 13, 2021 by Anil Premlall
I’ve spent some time going back and forth on this: How much change should we ask for?
As I wrote on October 6, it’s unlikely anyone gets more than they ask for… That applies to one person or a global movement that may grow to include millions of people.
But if you ask for too much, people may not take you seriously. They may even think you’re crazy. In a worst case scenario, that could hurt our chances ever to be taken seriously.
But people often say you have to be true to yourself…follow your bliss… And I’m really, really dissatisfied accepting even a few million people left hungry.
If we cut hunger and poverty in half – already a very ambitious, praiseworthy goal, widely talked about by those who work on these issues – that still leaves over 400 million hungry with a total of a billion in poverty. A terrible tragedy, all the more so when we have all the resources and proven methods to help these people help themselves.
All that’s missing is widespread awareness and willingness to change the situation.
If we can get this message out, I’m convinced, millions more people will agree with us. Using mass communications we can reach, inspire, educate and empower them to effectively advocate solutions.
We’re still working towards the large-scale rollout of our campaign, and it’s a difficult decision to make: Should we focus on this larger goal from the start, or gradually raise support towards our greater goal?
We could start by joining other anti-hunger groups supporting programs that substantially reduce hunger without necessarily fully solving all the problems. Eventually, we can gather additional support towards our more ambitious goal of ending all hunger and poverty.
But when it comes to the lives of hundreds of millions of people, I don’t really like to compromise.
Maybe we won’t have to. We just need to make a clear case for what’s possible.
We could start with high school and university students. I believe they’re more open to big ideas than some older people (people my age for example :).
Stay tuned and we’ll show you how we can move towards our goal to do as much good as possible.