Empty Stomach

No man can worship God or love his neighbor on an empty stomach.
Woodrow T. Wilson

The first priority of any functional society must be to make sure that everyone has the basic necessities of life. If we are hungry, we can think about little else. If we are chronically hungry then it becomes the focal point of our lives, a constant struggle to get enough to eat. And eventually we will abandon our morals and decency and character and just do whatever we think would help us get some food. We will behave like animals. And in today's society, a gun is never very far away.

It is foolish to expect a hungry man to not steal, or even kill. Only when his basic needs have been looked after will he pay any attention to anyone else's needs. Even one hungry man can do a lot of damage to society. Everyone must be looked after in a well-functioning society so that nobody falls through the cracks. It's all very well to offer beautiful churches and wise doctrines to the people. But someone who is hungry isn't going to be paying attention to any of that. No man can worship God or love his neighbor on an empty stomach.

I have read, and beleive, that the reason that the West Coast "First Nations" people had such a rich and vibrant culture compared to other "First Nations" peoples is because it was always very easy for them to find food. They could afford to take the time to explore art and culture and spiritual matters. Knowing that they would survive, they could turn their attention to the meaning and significance of their survival. It is only when the matter of finding food, clothing, and shelter is taken care of, that we can each learn and grow. It is only then that we, as a community and society, can mutually enjoy and enrich all our lives as we were meant to.