From the Notebook of Joseph Batory

Here is a reality check for the many bigots and racists that surround us!  Our world is human…it is not one color or one ethnic group or one religion. So, the biases and prejudices and discrimination which persist among too many are absurd!

Aside from that, the world is full of too much suffering and inequities. It desperately needs more caring people and meaningful outreach to the needy and those less fortunate.

If the world’s residents were just a village of 100, our world would look something like this…

The ETHNICITY of the 100 villagers: • 61 Asians • 14 Africans • 11 Europeans • 5 North Americans • 9 South Americans & Latins

The GENDER of the 100 villagers:     • 50 male    • 50 female   

The RELIGIONS of the 100 villagers: 33 are Christian • 20 are Muslims • 13 are Hindus • 6 are Buddhists • 14 practice other religions • 12 are non-religious • 2 are Atheists

The SKIN COLOR of the 100 villagers: • 70 non-white • 30 white

The LANGUAGES of the 100 villagers: • 17 speak Chinese • 9 speak English • 8 speak Hindi • 6 speak Russian • 6 speak Spanish • 4 speak Arabic • 50 speak other languages 

The QUALITY OF LIFE of the 100 villagers: • 30 would always have enough to eat (15 would be overweight) • 50 would be malnourished • 20 would be undernourished (1 would be dying of starvation)

The FREEDOMS of the 100 villagers: • 48 can’t speak or act according to their faith and conscience due to harassment, imprisonment, torture or death • 52 have basic freedoms

 • 20 live in fear of death by bombardment, armed attack, landmines, or of rape or kidnapping by armed groups • 80 do not

The HEALTH of the 100 villagers: • 68 breathe clean air • 32 breathe polluted air NB—63 have inadequate sanitation

The MONEY among the 100 villagers: • 6 people own 59% of the world’s wealth (all of them from the United States) • 74 people own 39% of the world’s wealth• 20 people share the remaining 2% of the world’s wealth  

NB— 21 people live on $1.25 (US) per day or less 

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Joseph Batory is the author of three books and 300+ published articles on history, education and politics,

Sources:  Office of International Programs at the University of Southern Maine and If the World Were a Village, by David J. Smith