Thursday, February 18, 2010

Looking at life in perspective

The following article (worth repeating) has been transcribed (and slightly edited) from a PPS whose author is unknown:

If you could fit the entire population of the world into a village consisting of 100 people, maintaining the proportions of all the people living on Earth, that village would consist of:

57 Asians;
21 Europeans;
14 Americans (North, Central and South); and
8 Africans.

There would be
52 women and 48 men;
30 Caucasians and 70 Non-Caucasians;
30 Christians and 70 Non-Christians;
89 Heterosexuals and 11 Homosexuals.

6 people would possess 59% of the wealth and they would all come from the USA;
80 would live in poverty;
70 would be illiterate;
50 would suffer from hunger and malnutrition;
1 would be dying;
1 would be being born;
1 would own a computer;
1 (yes only 1) would have a university degree.

If we look at the world this way, the need for acceptance and understanding would be obvious
But consider again the following:

If you woke up this morning in good health, you have more luck than 1 million people, who won't live through the week.

If you have never experienced the horror of war, the solitude of prison, the pain of torture, were not close to death from starvation, then you are better off than 500 million people.

If you can go to your place of worship without fear that someone will assault or kill you, then you are luckier than 3 billion people.

If you have a full fridge, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep, you are wealthier than 75% of the world's population.

If you currently have money in the bank, in your wallet and a few coins in your purse, you are one of the 8 of the privileged few amongst the 100 people in the world.

If your parents are still alive and still married, you are a rare individual.

If you are reading this message, you are extremely lucky because you are not one of the 2 billion people who cannot read.

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