Risum dat desperato- the hopeless smiles of streets

I was touched very deeply a few days ago and so thought of sharing it with you !!

A smile, no it wasn't from any stunning Señorita, however from someone, I do not even know, I even doubt she is rarely known by anyone else. While passing by the street my curious eyes had been as regular searching out things going around me and my mind in deep oceans of thought. From couples crossing the street holding hands to a child crying after his ice cream fell to the ground, however all of a sudden, I saw a smile, probably the most satisfying smile I've ever seen !! She was an old woman, almost 60-70 years of age. Winter-white hairs, timeworn wrinkled skin, skully face. Her toothless smile defined the tale of her life, her hurdles, each up and down she confronted in her life, her book, that was nearly done, looking ahead to her death. Her smile depicts her hopelessness towards life, her broken faith for humanity as well as God !! Why?

Let's see things that only she could've observed and not anyone else !!

Illustrative image
©Flicker

Science says, a human being can survive only for eight weeks in starvation, however, what I believe is that it is simply the body that dies in 8 weeks however the actual person dies out of hunger much earlier.

The first week is probably easier, she is probably strong enough mentally and physically to address her starvation and urge for food. It would not even matter much for her. Weird sensation in the stomach followed by burning sensation. She feels a lot like an overnight fast between dinner one night and breakfast the next morning. Energy levels are low however with the desire that it'll pick up with a morning meal, sleeps with a glass of water.

Then comes the second week, when she has trust in her intellectuality about people's carelessness. She stands out of back doors of restaurants, homes, close to dustbins to gather the wasted meals. But no, there wasn't anyone who wasted food, no one who has carelessly thrown food in dustbins. Metabolism slows, her body becomes unable to regulate its temperature, kidney function is impaired and the immune system weakens, with a weakness that can't be defined !!

The third week begins with a faith in humanity, a belief that at least someone will come and help her to fight her starvation, a belief that at least one among billions will come and give her a slice of bread even though it is rotten. Out of the incapability to find food due to sheer laziness and weakness, her brain starts losing a huge part of its cognitive capability. Finding food is her top priority now. Everything else feels disturbing to her, the sounds from traffic to the bright sun. But no, there wasn't anyone to feed her.

After completely breaking her faith and belief in humanity she begins to pray, the fourth week is all about her faith in God. She remembers quotes and sayings about God, the way he sends his angels to help the needy and so, she starts imagining everyone as angels. From the teenaged boy with a purple bag to the lady with tiffin in her hand. She starts imagining the puris in those bags and the pulao in the tiffin !!!! But very soon, her hope and trust in God break. Her body begins feeding on itself. It begins to eat energy stores — carbohydrates, fats, after which the protein components of the tissue.

In simply 4 weeks, she loses her every hope in everything she had faith in. Now, in the 5th week, it is only her body that is living, only her heart beating, soul less body left with just a hopeless smile in her face...

Eventually, her body makes use of its reserves to offer simple strength needs, it could now no longer deliver essential vitamins to crucial organs and tissues. The heart, lungs, ovaries reduce. Muscles shrink and she would possibly feel weak. Body temperature drops and might sense chilled. She can end up irritable, and it will become hard to concentrate, nothing is left for the body to scavenge besides muscle. Once protein stores begin getting used, dying is not far...

The case above is not just a tale, it takes place every day, to millions. Around 25,000 humans, including more than 10,000 children, die from starvation and associated reasons, and most importantly, it is humanity that dies 25,000 times each day. On the opposite hand, an estimated 1.3 billion tonnes of meals is wasted globally every year, one-third of all food produced for human consumption, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. The amount of food lost or wasted prices 2.6 trillion USD yearly and is more than sufficient to feed all of the 815 million hungry people in the world - four times over. The Earth can't accommodate our want and greed for food. We have to change our diet earlier than it’s too late