Taking in a time of need

At dinner recently with a group of friends, someone reflected on the shortage of food in "remote" parts of the world. Certainly, remote to our own, preferred experiences.

One thinks of names and corresponding images from Darfur, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia. One clearly sees the starving children, their gaunt faces, their weary eyes devoid of promise.

Annoyance at the timing of such a deflating relflection before a bounteous meal among friends would be understandable. After all, ambience counts, it establishes mood, and mood affects appetite. Happily, all tolerated the reflection. One friend was even moved to offer a toast in the form of an antimetabole*:

"Take what you need so long as you need what you take."

Quiet agreement, followed by a savory meal, promoted by an elegant thought.

*In rhetoric antimetabole is the repetition of words in successive clauses, but in reverse grammatical order (ex: "I know what I like, and like what I know").

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