Viewpoint by Roberto Savio*
ROME (IDN) – 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)
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 one) would have a university degree.
If we looked at the world in 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 one 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 (that’s right) 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 8 of the privileged few
among the 100 people in the world.
If your parents are still alive and still married,
you’re a rare individual.
If someone sent you this message,
you’re extremely lucky,
Because someone is thinking of you
and because you don’t comprise
one of those 2 billion people who can’t read.
AND SO?
Work like you don’t need the money.
Love like nobody has ever hurt you.
Dance like nobody is watching.
Sing like nobody is listening.
Live as if this was paradise on Earth.
*Publisher of OtherNews, Italian-Argentine Roberto Savio is an economist, journalist, communication expert, political commentator, activist for social and climate justice and advocate of an anti-neoliberal global governance. Director for international relations of the European Center for Peace and Development. Adviser to INPS-IDN and to the Global Cooperation Council. He is co-founder of Inter Press Service (IPS) news agency and its President Emeritus. [IDN-InDepthNews – 10 April 2020]
Photo: A drone photo of Mumbai from the series highlighting wealth inequality in cities around the world. Credit: MatadorNetwork
IDN is flagship agency of the International Press Syndicate.
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