Thanksgiving Thoughts

You may have heard of this book, or seen it used in videos or websites before. Author David Smith shrinks the world's population of more than 6.6 billion people down to a village of 100, and, with all the human ratios existing in the world still remaining, shows what this village would look like. Here is what he says:

• 61 would be Asian

• 11 would be European
• 13 would be from the Western Hemisphere
• 14 would be African
• 32 would be Christian
• 52 would be non‐Christian
• 16 are non‐religious
• 10 people have over half the entire world’s wealth
• 50 would suffer from malnutrition
• 20 are severely undernourished
• 30 always have enough to eat
• 73 people are over the age of 15 and 64 of them can read at least a little, but 17 cannot read at all. More males are taught to read than females.
• 1 person will die this year
• The average life expectancy is 63 years old
• 3 babies will be born this year

The following is an anonymous interpretation of these statistics:


Think of it this way. If you live in a good home, have plenty to eat and can read, you are a member of a very select group. And if you have a good house, food, can read and have a computer you are among the very elite. If you woke up this morning with more health than illness… you are more fortunate 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 fortunate; more than three billion people in the world can’t. If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep... you are richer than 75% 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 married… you are very rare, even in the United States.

If you can read this message, you are more fortunate than over one billion people in the world who cannot read at all.


It is so important that we, the blessed citizens of the United States of America, understand and remember that we are NOT in the world's majority. Not as Caucasians, not as Christians, not as well-fed and healthy, not as highly educated, and certainly not as free people.  And, as such, it is our responsibility to take care of the others. Luke 12:48 spells it out for us:

But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. (NIV)

God gives us more than we need so that we have enough to give to others. It's that simple. I am thankful to the Lord for all he has bestowed upon me and my family, and I promise to be ever mindful of my responsibilities.

Happy Thanksgiving!



For more information on "If the World Were a Village" by David Smith, please visit his website at http://www.mapping.com/village.html. Print this post