Lately I have been researching and thinking about leading a Vida project in Africa for summer 2006. Right now it is just a thought in my head. I realize I have a lot of work to do and a lot of people really need to come together for this to really happen but right here right now is the first step to making this thought a reality.
I will keep you updated as I attempt to get this project funded and find a worthy cause for our efforts, for now this email I received will serve as a catalyst for me to stay on course and keep my perspective:
In the world today, 6 billion 300 million people live. If this world were shrunk to the size of 100, what would it look like?
52 would be women, 48 would be men
30 would be children, 70 would be adults.
7 would be aged.
90 would be heterosexual, 10 would be homosexual
70 would be nonwhite, 30 would be white
61 would be Asian, 13 African, 13 from North and South America, 12 Europeans, and the remaining one from the South Pacific.
33 would be Christians, 19 believers in Islam, 13 would be Hindus, and 6 would follow Buddhist teachings. 5 would believe that there are spirits in the trees and rocks and in all of nature. 24 would be believe in other religions, or would believe in no religion.
17 would speak Chinese, 9 English, 8 Hindi and Urdu, 6 Spanish, 6 Russian, and 4 would speak Arabic. That would account for half the village. The other half would speak Bengal, Portuguese, Indonesian, Japanese, German, French, or some other language.
In such a village with so many sorts of folks, it would be very important to learn to understand people different from yourself and to accept others as they are. But consider this. Of the 100 people in this village,
20 are malnourished, 1 is dying of starvation, while 15 are overweight.
Of the wealth in this village, 6 people own 59% (all of them from the United States), 74 people own 39%, and 20 people share the remaining 2%.
Of the energy of this village, 20 people consume 80%, and 80 people share the remaining 20%.
75 people have some supply of food and a place to shelter them from the wind and the rain, but 25 do not. 17 have no clean, safe water to drink.
If you have money in the bank, money in your wallet and spare change somewhere around the house, then you are among the richest 8.
If you have a car, you are among the richest 7.
Among the villages, 1 has a college education. 2 have computers. 14 cannot read.
If you can speak and act according to your faith and your conscience without harassment, imprisonment, torture or death, then you are more fortunate than 48, who cannot.
If you do not live in fear of death by bombardment, armed attack, landmines, or of rape or kidnapping by armed groups, then you are more fortunate than 20, who do.
In one year, 1 person in the village will die, but in the same year, 2 babies will be born, so that at the year's end the number of villagers will be 101.
1 comment:
Thanks Sammy for this. It is an interesting perspective.
By the way, this is Cassi's dad.
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