It's All About Perspective...

Do you consider yourself affluent?

I, certainly, never have. I mean, while I am not poor, I am, most definitely, not rich. I've always considered my family just an average, middle class family. Just like everyone else.
Well, the thing is, when compared to the rest of the world, I am very rich. And if you are reading this, it probably means that you are rich too.

Here's the facts:

* 56% of people living on this planet, live in EXTREME poverty. They exist on an income of less than $2 a day. Half of these people (28% of the world population), survive on less than $1 a day.

* 80% of the world lives on an income of less than $10 a day. That means, the poorest of Americans - those living on food stamps, section 8 housing, and medicaid - are still richer than at least 80% of the rest of the world.

* 1/5 of the people worldwide do not own a single pair of shoes. The average American woman owns 19 pairs.

* 1/4 of humanity lives without electricity. I know I will think twice when I complain about my electric bill.

* There are 2.2 billion children in the world. 1 billion (roughly 1/2) live in poverty. Of those 1 billion children:
*640 million are without adequate shelter.
*400 million have no access to safe water.
*270 million have no access to health services of any kind.

* Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names. Almost all Americans can read and write. However, on average we only read about 3 books a year. 25% of us will not even read one.

* Less than 1% of what the world spends yearly on weapons, would be enough to provide education services to every child in the world. Yet, 121 million children are not receiving any kind of education.

It's very humbling to consider, that a majority of people in the world cannot even fathom living the lifestyle that we take for granted every single day. It's especially easy to forget how privileged we are, at this time of the year, when we tend to overspend and over-indulge in every way. I think that we should all take a time out, and just for a minute, remember how blessed we really are.
I know that today, I am ALOT more grateful for what I have.