Black Friday

I watched the televised rampage of shoppers pushing and shoving each other on what merchants call, “Black Friday.”

What is wrong with us? We fall for the marketing of sales when most time the price isn’t much different from other selling campaigns. We lose all sense of courtesy and grace in our desire for a deal. We are the most fortunate and pampered nation on earth and we still don’t get it.

Based on statistics, if you fit the entire population of the world into a village consisting of only 100 people, maintaining the proportions of all the people living on Earth, six 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 and one would have a university degree.

If you’ve never experienced the devastation of war, the degradation of prison, the pain of torture, if you were never close to death from hunger, then you are better off than 500 million people.

If you can worship without the fear that someone will assault or kill you, then you are more fortunate than 3 billion people.

If you have plenty of food, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep, you are wealthier than 75% of the other 99 people.

If you currently have money in the bank, in your wallet and a few coins in your pocket, you are one of 8 of the privileged few amongst the 100 people in your condensed world.

It makes you think doesn’t it?