a1nnie

Andy was bemoaning that, in his opinion we were well off and would always have to watch the pennies, especially that we are unable to afford a second car, one of his own choosing. In his mind having a company car is a sign of his achievement in life/work. He knows he is materialistic and has come a long way, having lived with me for the past 6/7 years, but still craves material things.

It is of course a human trait to want more for ourselves, but at the same time we should always be grateful for what we do have. I am reminded of the story of "The Village of 100 people" I have highlighted below how fortunate I am. Having heard recently of some people I know who have lost a parent or loved one, it certainly is a time for reflection and appreciation of that which we do have.

IF THE WORLD WERE A VILLAGE OF 100 PEOPLE
In the world today, more than 6 billion people live.If this world were shrunk to the size of a village of 100 people, what would it look like?
59 would be Asian14 would be American (North, Central and South)14 would be African
12 would be European 1 would be from the South Pacific
50 would be women, 50 would be men
30 would be children, 70 would be adults.
70 would be nonwhite, 30 would be white
90 would be heterosexual, 10 would be homosexual
33 would be Christians 21 would be Moslems15 would be Hindus6 would be Buddhists5 would be Animists6 would believe in other religions14 would be without any religion or atheist.
15 would speak Chinese, Mandarin 7 English 6 Hindi6 Spanish5 Russian4 Arabic3 Bengali3 PortugueseThe other would speak 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.
Of the 100 people in this village:20 are underonurished1 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%.20 have no clean, safe water to drink.56 have access to sanitation15 adults are illiterate.1 has an university degree.7 have computers.
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.
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.
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 can not.
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 can read this message, that means you are probably lucky!
(The statistics were derived from Donella Meadows "State of the Village Report" first published
in 1990)

I consider myself lucky and very rich. I have three wonderful, healthy and intelligent children. Money may be tight, but I do have money in the bank, my wallet and change around the house. I feel safe in my own home and have plenty of free time. Perhaps I should consider some form of volunteering again, something I haven't done for a long time.

How lucky are you if you lived in this vilage of 100people?