Bahá’ís Believe: Economic Justice
What if it’s lunchtime at school, and your friend doesn’t have anything to eat because his family doesn’t have the money? Would you share your lunch? What if your friend lives on the other side of the planet? You can’t just hand over half of your sandwich, right?
Sadly, hunger and poverty are a huge daily problem on our planet. About 870 million people don’t have enough to eat. And about a billion people live on less than $1.25 a day. Yet some people have tremendous wealth. These extremes of poverty and wealth are out of balance.
We’re all part of one human family—and family members should take care of each other. It’s vital for everyone to at least have the necessities of life. The Bahá’í writings say, “Every human being has the right to live; they have a right to rest, and to a certain amount of well-being…Nobody should die of hunger; everybody should have sufficient clothing; one man should not live in excess while another has no possible means of existence.”
We have to find ways to cooperate, and develop fair methods to share our global resources. When we really see humanity as one family, those who are wealthy will voluntarily share with the poor.
What can we do to help? You might donate some of your allowance to a charity for those in need. You could also share food, clothes, blankets—or your time—with a local shelter. And we can all pray for happy, healthy living for everyone.