I was teaching in one of the universities while the country was suffering from a severe famine. People were dying of hunger, and I felt very helpless. As an economist, I had no tool in my tool box to fix that kind of situation.
Interpretation
The quote highlights the limits of academic knowledge in addressing real-world crises, emphasizing the feelings of helplessness experienced by experts when faced with dire humanitarian issues.
Muhammad Yunus reflects on his experience as a university teacher during a devastating famine, expressing his frustration and helplessness in not being able to apply his expertise in economics to alleviate the suffering caused by hunger. This statement underlines the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical solutions, particularly in times of urgent humanitarian need, showcasing the limitations of academic approaches when confronted with the harsh realities of life.
In practice
This quote can be used in a lecture about the practical applications of economic theories in disaster relief.
Civilization has given us enormous successes: going to the moon, technology. But then this is the civilisation that took us to debt, environmental crisis, every single crisis. We need a civilization where we say goodbye to these things.
What I did not know yet about hunger, but would find out over the next twenty-one years, was that brilliant theorists of economics do not find it worthwhile to spend time discussing issues of poverty and hunger. They believe that these will be resolved when general economic prosperity increases. These economists spend all their talents detailing the process of development and prosperity, but rarely reflect on the origin and development of poverty and hunger. A a result, poverty continues.
People.. were poor not because they were stupid or lazy. They worked all day long, doing complex physical tasks. They were poor because the financial institution in the country did not help them widen their economic base.
Some people think that poor people are lazy. Actually, it takes a lot of work to survive when you are dirt-poor.
Once poverty is gone, we'll need to build museums to display its horrors to future generations. They'll wonder why poverty continued so long in human society - how a few people could live in luxury while billions dwelt in misery, deprivation and despair.
By simply capitalizing on core strengths and knowledge, companies and entrepreneurs can engage in an emerging business model that will enable them to create - and demonstrate - real, sustainable social impact in society.
We seldom learn the true want of what we have till it is discovered that we can have no more.
Humility is the most difficult of all virtues to achieve; nothing dies harder than the desire to think well of self.
A thinking man is the worst enemy the Prince of Darkness can have; every time such an one announces himself, I doubt not there runs a shudder through the nether empire; and new emissaries are trained with new tactics, to, if possible, entrap and hoodwink and handcuff him.
When we disclaim praise, it is only showing our desire to be praised a second time.
I found that while life drags on when you're losing, it marches on when you're winning.
Everybody gets told to write about what they know. The trouble with many of us is that at the earlier stages of life we think we know everything- or to put it more usefully, we are often unaware of the scope and structure of our ignorance.
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