Two weeks ago I attended the Global Oneness Banquet and it was a very meaningful and revealing event. I didn’t know what to expect I just knew this event was about hunger, poverty, and deprivation. I came out of the event with a better awareness of the situations of the less fortunate and I also learned that I shouldn’t ever take for granted how lucky I am to have what I have. The Global Oneness Banquet revealed to me that no matter who you are you can help the people that are in need of the basic necessities of food that we overuse every day.
I walked into the banquet with my friend Nick and we were given cards that told us what class we were in. We were placed into the upper class and seated at a fancy table while the middle and lower classes were in chairs and on the floor. Soon after we sat down we were showed some videos that shared the common theme of Global Oneness. Then, some people spoke to us about the hunger problems that people all over the world face every day. However, I still wasn’t sure what the point of us being split into different classes was. I soon found out that everyone at the banquet would be served food, but the quality of the food was dependent on what class you were in. The upper class was served first with salad, bread, lasagna, and even dessert while the people in the middle and lower class were only given rice and beans. As I began to try and enjoy my meal I noticed the glaring eyes of the people in the lower classes. I felt awkward eating my meal while they had only rice and beans. Suddenly, the realization hit me that those eyes staring at me represented all the less fortunate people in the world that didn’t have the same access to food that I did.
The Global Oneness Banquet informed me further on the seriousness of the hunger problem. It also helped me realize that I should appreciate the opportunities that I have in terms of food and social status. As I sat at the elegantly set table and ate my three course meal I couldn’t help but feel like I didn’t deserve to be where I was. The people in the lower class just had to sit on the floor for an hour and I felt like they should have been served the most food. But unfortunately they weren’t and unfortunately the people who suffer from hunger go through much worse. At the Global Oneness Banquet I learned that there is more than enough food on our planet for everyone to have sufficient amounts necessary for living. However, the people who need food the most don’t get access to it while all of us, the people who need it the least, have easy access to it. After leaving the Global Oneness Banquet, I gained a deeper appreciation for what I have, and a stronger awareness to the problems of hunger and poverty.
The major point of the Global Oneness Banquet was to remind us that there are people in this world that struggle every day to obtain the basic necessities for living. Also, it is our job to find a way to give to these people the help that they need. I found the themes of the banquet to be relatable to the works “Common Ground”, by Judith Ortiz Cofer, and “When I consider how my light is spent”, by John Milton. In “Common Ground” the major idea being expressed is that we are all one people who share the same world. This idea reminded me of what the Global Oneness Banquet was all about because we do share the same world as the less fortunate people and yet we enjoy the benefits of it while they suffer. In Milton’s poem the speaker is worrying that he won’t be able to serve God due to his lack of vision. His one talent is forever gone and he doesn’t think he can serve a purpose in the world. This relates to the Global Oneness Banquet because some people may struggle to find a purpose in life. However, they can find one in helping these less fortunate people who are in need and giving back. Whether it be through donation or other methods everyone can make a difference in making sure that people don’t have to starve.
It doesn’t matter who you are, you can make a difference in another person’s life. The Global Oneness Banquet showed me the struggle that the less fortunate go through on an every day basis when it comes to obtaining food. It also helped me to never take for granted what I have because I could’ve just as easily been born into a less fortunate family or part of the world. It is our job to reach out and help these people who are suffering by whatever means necessary because we are guilty of the overuse of basic necessities needed for living.
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