A more global perspective

Photo from North Central College

I try to live life daily with an attitude of gratitude, but sometimes I may not appreciate how good I have it.

There's nothing like gaining a more global perspective to bring my blessed state into a more clear perspective.

Here's a few facts that have hit me as I've been reading What can I do? by David Livermore:

• 20% of the world's population owns 74% of the world's financial assets
• If you earn $50,000 a year, you're among the top 1% of the richest people in our world
• If you earn $20,000 a year, you're among the top 11% of the richest people in our world
• Just under 1% of the world's population (WP) dies from hunger every year 
• Half of the WP is malnourished
• Around 1/3 of the WP doesn't have access to a safe water supply
• Almost 1/3 of the WP has TB (BTW: In the U.S. TB is fairly easily treated by taking several drugs for 6 to 9 months).
• Drug trafficking is the largest organized crime ring in the global community 
• Second to drug trafficking is human trafficking
• 10% of the WP controls enough explosive power in nuclear weapons that they could blow up the entire civilization many times over
• The Christian faith is estimated to be growing at a rate of 6.9% a year.  The largest portion of this growth is occurring in Latin America, Southern Africa, and Southern Asia.

Sometimes this type of information can be overwhelming.

I was encouraged by Livermore's referring to some information found through Global Perspective Inventory research. Their research found that individuals who understand global issues and see themselves as global citizens most often feel a need to give back to society and work for the rights of others.

As I'm reading this book I pray that God will show me ways to integrate my life, work, and giftings with ways to address these global issues.