Having lived in an under-developed poor nation and also in a developed wealthy nation, I have observed with interest the type of benefits and problems unique to each nation or country.
One of the problems affecting both the rich nation and the poor nation is the availability or unavailability of food.
The availability or unavailability of food affects the two countries in different ways.
While the rich nation has so much food for its inhabitants to eat, the poor nation does not have enough food for its inhabitants to eat.
Each of these has its benefits and problems.
I shall speak on one aspect of the benefits of being from a poor nation - Obesity is not an issue.
The rich nations have so much food in different varieties that it has become a major problem on what to eat and what quantity to eat such food.
Most of the food is already pre-cooked or half-cooked and would require only about two minutes in the microwave to get the food ready for eating.
There is so much affordable food that it has become a cause for concern to the government.
The availability of food or good economy or low-cost of living in these rich countries has become a major cause for concern for the government.
The Government of these rich nations are faced with a monster of a problem called 'obesity'.
The availability of affordable food is resulting in people who have grown so big that they loose their self-confidence.
It has resulted in people who are filled with regret and a loss of enthusiasm in life.
Obesity has resulted in different kinds of health problems that ought not to have been.
People spend money either on dieting, or in the gym or in some medical procedure in order to reduce weight.
Some people have lost their lives because of over-weight or being obese.
Is it a sin then to be in a country with good economy where food is affordable to all its citizens? Is it more harm than good that one comes from a nation where food is affordable? Certainly not.
As the saying goes, 'if education is expensive, then try ignorance'.
If you ask those in these poor nations with famine, the story is different.
Yet one problem is solved: Obesity is never an issue in the poor nation.
I have lived in a poor nation where the cost of living is very high.
I have lived in a nation where an average family of four will feed on less than $2 per day.
This money is spent on main food and not on 'junk' or starters as those were not in the available options.
Eating the so-called 'junk' is a luxury and not a bad habit.
The day one goes into the snacks bar for some 'junk' food is normally a day of celebration.
While those in the rich nations are warned to monitor how much of 'junk' they eat, those in the poor nations are never warned.
Actually, the people in the poor nations believe that opportunity rarely comes, or it comes but once.
Hence, if someone manages to buy some 'junk' food, the one eats the entire 'junk' food without giving thought to any health hazard linked to the food.
Actually, the person may never afford the 'junk' food again for the next few months so the body will have to manage with what it gets in any given opportunity.
In the poor countries, food is hardly available or affordable.
White meat like chicken is eaten only at festive periods such as Christmas or Easter.
The main dish is just plain vegetables from the local farms.
There is one word I hardly hear re-occur in these poor countries.
That word is 'obesity': The benefit of not having multiple choice of affordable food.
Obesity and the associated health issues have never been an issue of consideration in a very poor nation.
This benefit of not being obese is more expressed in the ladies who naturally find it easy to maintain their natural body curves and looks.
There is no need for any form of dieting program or going into the gym to burn off some unwanted fats.
That problem is naturally being taken care of, not by choice but by default.
Thanks to the bad government and the poor economy: more thanks to - POOR NATION.