Why Haven’t We Solved World Hunger Yet?

Q: Hi Sadhguru, my love! My question is, so many billions of funds have been put into agriculture, from food and agriculture organizations to many R&D units. Many researchers are constantly working on this aspect, but why haven’t we completely eliminated hunger? I’m really grief-stricken. Can spiritual science combat this problem? Does it have a correlation? Can it bridge the gap? 

Sadhguru: Many people on the planet are hungry and malnourished – not because there is not enough food. We have more than enough food for all the 7.6 billion people, but still 815 million people are not eating. This is not because of a failure of agriculture – it is a failure of the human heart. 

When Love Finds Action

You stood up and used the word “love”. Instead of just tirading me – I am doing fine – if you can direct this at the world, we can see what could be done out of your love. If love finds action, these 815 million people would not be hungry. If there was no food on the planet, that would be a different matter, but when we have more food than we actually need and still they are hungry, it is just a human failure, not an agricultural failure. If you ask the farmers to produce double of what they are producing right now, within two years it would happen – but how to get it to those people who do not have food to eat? That is a big question because there are markets, there are vested interests, and there are nations which will come in the way. 

One time when I was at the World Economic Forum, the leaders there heard me in many sessions. Then they said, “Sadhguru, if there is one thing we can do for you which will transform this world, what is it?” I said, “See, I will name twenty-five people. You give them to me for five days. You will see, within two to three years there will be a phenomenal change on the planet.” They asked, “Who are these twenty-five people?” I named the twenty-five heads of state of the important nations on the planet. I said, “Give me these twenty-five people for five days. For a regular human being, in two to three days I can do it, but because they are politicians, I need five days. For five days, leave them with me. In two to three years’ time, the world will be a different place.” 

The Only Question

If twenty-five leaders on the planet make up their mind, we can make sure that everybody is eating enough. Every child can go to bed with a full stomach. It does not take decades to do it – it can be done in a matter of two years. Food, technology, transportation, means and everything else is there. Never before in the history of humanity did we have these things. Even twenty-five years ago, it was not possible, but today, for the first time we have it all. Only human willingness is not there. How long should it take to make human beings willing? The only question is, will you and I as a generation of people make it happen or will we just sit at home and crib? Will we just complain and cry about it, or will we stand up and make it happen in whatever capacity we can? That is all the question is.

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