today i read in the Economist an article about a new study on poverty, conducted by two experts from the World Bank http://www.economist.com/finance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12010733. the title read "the bottom 1.4.billion". so, it's estimated that 879 million people live with under 1$ per day and another 520 million with under 1.25 $ per day, altogether accounting for 1.4 billion of the world's poorest inhabitants. (measured by purchasing power parity the numbers might differ, but the reality is overwhelmingly apparent - eradicating poverty, especially extreme poverty, by 2015 and complying with the promises for reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), call for drastic reconsideration of the current efforts, intensifying of the successful methodologies and strategies, doubling all efforts and power towards meeting the goals and most of all leading to the alleviation of these millions of people living in deprivation!)
just a few days ago, i started asking myself about the real value of money, more specifically 5 Euro. i, myself, have lived in a middle-class family, and despite having been broke at times, i have never been starved, never been left without a roof above my head and have been blessed with a chance to develop my potential and receive education and a future that many never get. at the same time, i know people who have thousands of euros pocket money, eat dinners as costly as a monthly (annual) income of an average family, and live not in houses but castles and mansions. yet, there are those people i know, who work day and night just to try to buy the bear necessities of life...and survive.
so, how much IS 5 $?
to answer this question, i dared make a rough calculation of my daily expenses (for today) and reach to a more sustained conclusion about the value of a 5 $ bill. - how much, indeed, did i spend during the past day and on what?
so, lets see: 1. i bought breakfast/lunch for about 2 $, yet sometimes, when i decide to "spoil myself" and buy iced coffee etc. i might spend as much as 3 $. 2. i finally managed to buy myself a new pair of sneakers (the discounted ones were all big size, so ended up buying the expensive ones) 120 $ 3. i found a rather compact, small bag pack on sale and bought it for 15 $ 4. i went home and made myself a big salad, toasted some bread, added some cheese and ate a happy meal (if that was in a restaurant, it would cost me as much as 4 $). 5. in the evening i went out with my cousin and didn't pay for anything cause he was treating, but all in all, my portion of the treat cost about 2.5 $, plus i had some home-made soup for dinner, accompanied by some ham. 6. today i used the toilet numerous times, showered with hot water, washed my hands, drank clean water, had the computer (with internet) on for quite awhile, used a bit of electricity, talked on the mobile phone and will now close the day.
it's a very rough calculation...yet it clearly shows the value of money...money here...money there...money everywhere! of course, i do not purchase shoes everyday (i ain't a shopping freak) but ONCE in AWHILE...i NEED to...and so goes the story...
the question remains...how much is 5 $? of, course, when you have it, it might look irrelevant and trivial, but when you need it, when its lack is sensed, then it seems giant and essential.
for me, today, 5 $ got a new meaning...with 5 $ a family in a rural area somewhere in Cambodia, let's say, might live a whole week...and if 5 $ is saved in the course of 1 month, the freedom of a girl sold in prostitution might be bought back (Kristoff's article on the two teenage girls in Cambodia)...nevertheless, 5 $ may also mean a single cup of coffee, a phone call, a pack of cigarettes, a pair of socks, a week's payment, a price for a prostitute, 1/5th of a micro financial loan, a piece of chocolate, a rented movie...
i am conveying a poll about the value of 5 $ for you! please, feel free to answer the question. there is no 1 right answer...because, money creates different, parallel worlds, in which people's lives can be compared only by their riches in heaven and in no way by their lifestyles here on earth, how can you compare black and white? you can only contrast them...but you can compare two nuances of red...so is it - the bottom 1.4 billion and the top 5 billion, of which more than half is somewhere in the middle...and only a tiny portion...is selected for enjoying and lavishing the riches on earth.
it's time! to look at our 5 $ bill in the pocket and reevaluate it. it's time! to awake for the harsh truth and to face it boldly, ready to sacrifice our insatiable desires and false needs, for the common good, for the better future of all.
it's time! to re-use this 5 $ bill sensibly and responsibly, maybe to feed s.o. in need, maybe to save and sponsor a kid to go to school, maybe to try not to use is as if we don't have it and see just how badly we do need it.
it's time! to become better stewards of the blessings God has provided for us and give more thought to our saving account in heaven.
we don't want to end up carrying full pockets of 5 $ bills to heaven and find ourselves homeless there...
for it is said "for where you treasure is, there your heart will be" Luke 12:34,
Jesus warned us : Matthew 6: 19-21, 24-25, 31-33
19”Do not store up riches for yourselves here on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and robbers break in and steal. 20 Instead, store up riches for yourselves in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and robbers cannot break in and steal. 21 For your heart will always be where your riches are. 24 You cannot be a slave of two masters; you will hate one and love the other; you will be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. 25 Do not be worried about the food and drink you need in order to stay alive, or about clothes for you body. After all isn’t life worth more than food? And isn’t the body worth more than clothes? 31 So do not start worrying: ‘Where will my food come from? Or my drink? Or my clothes? 32 Your Father in heaven knows that you need all these things. 33 Instead, be concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God and with what he requires of you, and he will provide you with all these other things. "
how about we each make a small heavenly pocket where to store money we've saved from things we've craved for but sacrificed and, according to each one's pocket, do something nice for someone, whether just buying them food, or maybe clothing, or maybe books for school...Brothers and sisters, let our treasures be measured by the number of people we've showed love and mercy to, rather than by the amount of money we have stored in the bank!
www.350.org"
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