English
The Book of The Apocalypse is the last book of the New Testament. Without a doubt, this is one of the most important and complex texts of Christianity, which has tried to decipher its metaphors and make it more accessible to its believers. In the Book of The Apocalypse, Seven Seals or prophecies are revealed: the First one, is about the false preachers, the false prophets and the false Christs who try to deceive the masses; the Second one, is about the succession of wars throughout the history of mankind and the Third one, which will be dealt with right now, is about the terrible famine that will devastate the planet.
The Third Seal is illustrated by a black horse. In a prophetic and literary context, the black colour symbolizes famine, which has led to the deaths of thousands of millions of people around the world throughout history. But the black colour symbolizes not only hunger, but also all those dark forces and phenomena that cause wars, laziness, waste, destruction, drought, fires, floods and other natural disasters. Therefore, the black horse, the one of the Third Horseman of Apocalypse, is the horse of scarcity, shortage, malnutrition and famine.
The history of the Second World War has been one of the most tragic when it comes to people dying from starvation. Approximately seven million people died as prisoners at the hands of the Nazis, and though most died in the horrific gas chambers, hunger was one of the reasons that caused most deaths. In 1945, when the Allied forces liberated the camps, the vast majority of the survivors suffered from serious diseases and malnutrition.
But this is not the only black episode of the history where thousands of people have died because of hunger. Unfortunately, it is not necessary to resort to a war to see it. Today, hundreds of countries live in extreme poverty and most of its citizens have nothing to eat. Nowadays, in the 21st century, the UN affirms that one billion people in the world suffer from malnutrition or starvation; that means that one out of every six persons have serious health problems or die due to the food shortages. With so many scientific innovations and agricultural engineering: why can’t they be applied to the neediest countries?
Moreover, it is estimated that in India nearly 10 million people died between 1769 -1770 due to starvation, and a similar number died in the famine that occurred in northern China in 1877 -1878. Who does not remember the grotesque pictures of the children in Ethiopia and Sudan? There, between 1972 and 1990 over two million people died of starvation.
Unfortunately, starvation and malnutrition is a “plague” that is extending. The more developed the world is, the hungrier the third world countries are. Why don´t you do your bit? Surely, you have planned a trip for your next holiday. Was it Budapest your chosen destination? Rent Apartments in Budapest and invest what you save on hotels in some NGO’s to alleviate hunger in the world. Enjoy your holidays!
