Thought for Xmas.

[_Schadenfreude_]

If we could shrink the earth's population to a village of 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
14 from the Western Hemisphere, both north and south
8 Africans
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 errrm not ^
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
and only 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 70% 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.

2 billion people on this Earth can't read this message or any message
for that matter.

I think we that play this silly game are among the luckiest in the
world, we may sometimes forget that.

Bless us all

(with thanks to KMS)

[Saurdaukar]

Time to call up Sally Struthers.

I dont need that cup of coffee a day, anyway.

[ra]

sum won pleez reed me this msg

[Arlo]

Originally posted by _Schadenfreude_

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 errrm not ^

Ummm ... isn't every other statement here rather redundant[/i][/b]?

Originally posted by _Schadenfreude_

6 people would possess 59% of the entire world's wealth and all 6 would be from the United States.

Just think .... if they were all from the U.S. what a happier, more content world it would be! We are currently still taking applications. Better hurry, though. Offer may end.

[Saurdaukar]

Damn you Arlo... youre supposed to be somber and crying for the world after reading that - you sick bastard... you sick happy bastard.

[Pooh21]

w00t I rock!

[_Schadenfreude_]

Originally posted by Saurdaukar
Damn you Arlo... youre supposed to be somber and crying for the world after reading that - you sick bastard... you sick happy bastard.

No you're not supposed to be crying for the world - you're supposed to stop and think for a moment and be grateful for what you have rather than *****ing and whining about what you haven't got.

[Swoop]

Hey Schadenfreude, how come there's no-one in this hundred people from the Middle-East?

You've got Africans, Asians and Europeans.......where's the Arabs?  Or do they score so low that maybe one of the 8 African's has a bit of Arab ancestry in his left leg?


Come to think of it, there's no southern hemisphere people listed either, did Australia and New Zealand sink then?  

[Arlo]

I'm all for reminders to the community about the real importance that perspective plays in our lives. It appears to have quite alot of superfluous wording stuck in it. After all, what does national origin or citizenship, race, gender, sexual orientation and religious preference really have to do with poverty, illiteracy, hunger, lack of housing and medicine as well as personal freedoms of the worldwide community as a whole other than agendas of a political or social nature?

Please consider accepting my recommended version which edits out the parts that the true spirit can be lost in:

If we could shrink the earth's population to a village of precisely 100 people, with all the existing human ratios remaining the same, it would look something like the following:

There would be:

80% living in substandard housing
70% 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

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 70% 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.

2 billion people on this Earth can't read this message or any message for that matter.

I think we that play this silly game are among the luckiest in the
world, we may sometimes forget that.

Bless us all

(with thanks and apologies to KMS and Schadenfreude)

[Eagler]

Originally posted by Swoop
Hey Schadenfreude, how come there's no-one in this hundred people from the Middle-East?

You've got Africans, Asians and Europeans.......where's the Arabs?  Or do they score so low that maybe one of the 8 African's has a bit of Arab ancestry in his left leg?


Come to think of it, there's no southern hemisphere people listed either, did Australia and New Zealand sink then?  

edit:

5 would be terrorists and they would all be from the middle east

[Dowding]

"Prejudiced bigot and proud."

- Eagler, Christmas 2003

[Saurdaukar]

"I am gay."

- Dowding, Coming Out Day (Canada) 2003

[FUNKED1]

I have these guys on ignore but I'm guessing Shadywhatever posted something snidely anti-American and Dowding made a personal attack on somebody.

[Saurdaukar]

Originally posted by FUNKED1
I have these guys on ignore but I'm guessing Shadywhatever posted something snidely anti-American and Dowding made a personal attack on somebody.

Sooo close.  It was a "Dowding style" attack and doesnt fall withint the lines of MiniD type attacks.

Was fun though.

[Wilfrid]

Funked: Wrong on both counts.

And your avatard is anti-epileptic, but I'm guessing you knew that anyway. WTG big guy.