When you get a little too complacent in your corner of the world....

Dr. Floyd Shoemaker described the world as it would look if it were reduced to a village of only 100 people with the existing human ratios still existing.  This is what it would be like:

• 57 Asians
• 21 Europeans
• 14 from the Western hemisphere
• 8 Africans
• 50% of the entire world's wealth would be in tha hands of only 6 people, all of whom would be from the United States
• 70 people would be people of color
• 30 would be white
• 30 would be Christian
• 70 would be from other faiths
• 70 would not be able to read
• 50 would suffer malnutrition
• 80 would live in substandard housing
• only one would have a university education

Kinda makes ya think! 

This was taken from an article on Multicultaral Diversity and Competence in Therapeutic Recreation that I was reading through last night so I could understand what Dan was referring to in the assignment I was editing/typing.  I was also reading it for interest sake, since in my own profession understanding various cultures is a huge benefit to reaching my clients.  Depending on where I am working at any given time, I have had patients from all over the globe and from all walks of life.  Like the stats above suggest, it would be fairly narrow minded of me to assume that they are all just like me.  Because I fit into a very slim category of people who would be in that village - from the Western hemisphere, Caucasian, Christian, literate, and I have a university education - it's so easy to sink into my little corner of the world and forget about the rest.

I have to take a minute today and consider all of our many blessings as children of God living with a knowledge of the gospel in a free, industrialized country.  We could have gone so many other places and I take it for granted and complain about small inconveniences all the time.  Shame on me!