The Privileged Few

I heard it on a newscast the other night, and it was so extreme it stuck in my head. The announcer was in a war torn country talking about medical issues, housing, tough life situations. He casually mentioned that if you owned a change of clothes, then you were part of the cream of humanity, that rare 3% who owned more than one set of clothes.

3%

It seemed way too small a number. Everyone I know personally owns at *least* two sets of clothes. Sometimes I have not been able to afford something I needed - new shoes - right at the point of need. But I always had more than one set of clothes. Surely he either was trying to shock people or had stretched the stats from *not having a roof over your head, not having medical help, not having an education third world poverty* into being *not owning a change of clothes*.

But hey! I'm a librarian. I ought to be able to figure out where to go to get such information. So I looked for that figure. I found things like definitions of poverty, the poverty threshold, what causes poverty, where the poorest people live, lots of charts, per capita incomes, economic giants of the world, tons of information, but nothing that specifically said that 97% of the people living IN the world only have one set of clothes to their name - if that.


I know America is wealthy and blessed and living the good life. But given that I know there are other cities in the world where there are people owning more than one set of clothing, I find it hard to believe that all of us together comprise a mere 3%.

Why does this fact bother me so much? Why am I wanting to know whether its true or not? Because I don't want to end up standing before God in heaven and trying to explain why my life was so easy and full while others around me were destitute.

I do what I know to do. I support children in other countries who need help. I give to the food banks I know of. I help neighbors who are struggling. I anonymously donate stuff to those who have needs. I put toys in the boxes for children who won't have much of a Christmas. I fill those darn shoeboxes. I give an extra few dollars at the cash register in the grocery store to feed the hungry. I drop my change in the Salvation Army red bucket. I donate to certain charities like battered women's homes and give of my time to soup kitchens and homeless shelters. I give to Project Heifer, Samaritan's Purse, Compassion, Holt Adoption Agency and others. I am learning how to reach out to cancer patients. I pick up pennies, for crying out loud!

But if everyone I am helping is part of that well endowed 3% (and I am pretty sure they are), then I am not helping the right people. Not that any good work would ever be enough to get you into heaven. That entrance fee was paid and donated generously based on grace alone. But dear God! How can I help 97% of the world?

I guess this is one I am just going to have to leave in God's hands, even if I manage to get ahold of a more realistic/less mind boggling/more swallowable figure.