Everyone gets hungry. Our metabolism causes us to digest food, leaving our stomach yearning for more. The natural response is, of course, to satisfy that need by consuming food when the urge hits us.
But what if instead of rushing to satiate this basic need, we take a moment (just a moment) to internalize this feeling, to savor this need?
To some, that may seem like an absurd thought. Enjoying being hungry? Why would we enjoy putting ourselves in a state of disadvantage? How can we relish the state of something so primitive as hunger?
It is exactly because hunger is primitive that we must stop and enjoy it. We are powerless against our digestion of food. Inevitably, we will need to refill our bellies.
But therein lies the subtlety of hunger: what of those who do not have the resources to do so? If you are reading this, then odds are that you have access to an ample supply of food. This hunger that you feel is nothing but a menial trifle in your otherwise smooth life. For those who aren’t as fortunate as you or me, a meal may be very hard to come by and something that must be won with much effort.
So, for their sake, as well as for your own humility, enjoy that pang of hunger. Let it consume you, if only for a moment. Let it remind you that you are no better than anyone else.
Let it show you that you are human.