If we could shrink the earth's population to precisely 100 people, with all the existing human ratios remaining the same, it would look something like the following:
There would be:
57 Asians, 21 Europeans, 8 Africans
14 from the Western Hemisphere, both north and south
52 would be female, 48 would be male
70 would be non-white, 30 would be white
70 would be non-Christian, 30 would be Christian
89 would be heterosexual, 11 would be homosexual
6 people would possess 59% of the entire world's wealth and all 6 would be from the United States.
80 would live in substandard housing
70 would be unable to read
50 would suffer from malnutrition, 1 would be near death, 1 would be near birth
1 (yes, only 1) would have a college education, 1 would own a computer
When one considers our world from such a compressed perspective, the need for acceptance, understanding and education becomes glaringly apparent. The following is also something to ponder:
If you woke up this morning with more health than illness...you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week. If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation... you are ahead of 500 million people in the world. If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death... you are more blessed than three billion people in the world. If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep... you are richer than 75% of this world. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace... you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy. If your parents are still alive and still married... you are very rare, even in the United States and Canada. If you can read this message, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read at all.
Author Unknown
1 comment:
The post said, "If you have never experienced the danger of battle,...."
Made me think of something I read on a slab of granite way up at a roadside lookout in Northern Minnesota:
You haven't lived....until you almost died.
For those of us that have fought for it, life has a taste the protected will never know.
This phrase has a lot of meanings for me and is actually a cause of torment in my life as I detest violence now, but was a soldier and have fought for my country. The dichotomy of peace and war is so delicate a balance.
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