"If we could shrink the earth's population to a village of precisely 100 people, with all the existing human ratios remaining the same, it would look something like the following:

There would be:

57 Asians
21 Europeans
14 from the Western Hemisphere, both north and south
8 Africans

52 would be female
48 would be male

70 would be non-white
30 would be white

70 would be non-Christian
30 would be Christian

6 people would possess 59% of the entire world's wealth and all 6 would be from the United States.*

80 would live in substandard housing
70 would be unable to read
50 would suffer from malnutrition
1 would be near death; 1 would be near birth
1 (yes, only 1) would have a university education
1 would own a computer

When one considers our world from such a compressed perspective, the need for acceptance, understanding and education becomes very apparent. The following is also something to ponder...

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness ...you are more blessed 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 more blessed than three billion people in the world.

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 still married ...you are very rare.

If you can read this message you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read at all.

* Note from Editor: Here is what Forbes magazine tell us now:

You know about Gates. You know about Buffett. But do you know about Slim?

Mexican telecom titan Carlos Slim Helú quietly slipped past value investor Warren Buffett in late March to become the second-richest man in the world. Slim is worth $53.1 billion, compared with Buffett's $52.4 billion, according to our rankings. He is also breathtakingly close to passing Bill Gates, currently worth $56 billion. Gates, who co-founded Microsoft (nasdaq: MSFT - news - people ) in 1975, has been the world's richest man for a record 13 years."

Something to ponder upon,
macs2005

Replying to [macs2005]:

Dear macs,

After reading most of the post you posted, it is really amazing to know that you came from Nepal.

Forgive my ignorance, I do not know Nepal nor had I been to Nepal before. The things I know about Nepal is a country that is rural and poor. And also, the tragedy in the royal family (massacred by one of the prince) many years ago.

I am really impressed with your knowledge, intellect, wisdom and your up-to-date issue with the world around you. I am surrounded with luxurious hi-tech equipment and up-to-date information everyday, and I have realized that I am taking many things for granted.

Compare to you, I am like a frog left in a well. You are truly a model for many people to push ourselves harder to become a better person, especially me.

Thank you.

Sincerely Yours

Thomas Koh

Replying to [Thomas1976]:

Thanks for the compliments, Thomas. But as I always say, I am always learning, unlearning and relearning. I don't intentionally go about pushing people to become better persons but if I have had that effect on someone like you, I'm truly delighted and honoured.

In a capsule, yes Nepal is rural and poor. But it is a country rich in natural endowments, culture, history, and civilization. You don't know much about Nepal now but there's always time to start learning more about this beautiful but mismanaged nation and thanks to the internet and google, that can be done in a flash. A good regular source of the latest updates and intelligent analyses is www.nepalitimes.com Am sure you'll find many more if you google.

macs2005

Replying to [macs2005]:Your posting is really educative and eye opening. for me I think its really something to ponder about

Replying to [macs2005]:
But how do you caculate these precise figures? I admire you creating power.

Replying to [Kevinglish]:

Dear Kevin,

I am not the creator of this that's why I have put in quotation marks at the beginning and end.. It was passed on to me by a friend and I thought it's worth sharing. It seems to be taken from Forbes magazine but not sure. But I think the figures could be derived from available world statistics.

macs2005