A Life of Luxury

Many of us who live in the modern world don’t realize how lucky we are until the things we love are taken away.  On this cold winter day in Texas, the masses are experiencing outages of power and freaking out about it. Some even have frozen pipes which causes their always ready water source to be depleted.  No TV, no internet, no video games, no heating?! Us Texans are not happy campers. 

But in the grand scheme of things – what are we complaining about.  There are people around the world who deal with these problems day in and day out.  No clean water, no readily available power, no heating or A/C?  Must be terrible. 

Therefore my list today is dedicated to those who survive in these conditions daily and don’t live in the luxurious life many of us enjoy.  Here are some facts about these people. 

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1.  Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.  80% are below the poverty line, and the country was devastated by the January 2010 earthquake that affected 3 million people.  

2. There are approximately 1.1 billion people who do not have adequate water supply in developing countries.   To put that in perspective, the ever growing country of China an approximate population of 1.3 billion.  

3. Children are also suffering due to insufficient water supplies.  About 1.4 million die each year due to unclean water or inadequate sanitation.  

4. 2.5 billion people who live in developing people use 'biomass', (wood, waste, alcohol fuels) for energy needed to cook.  There's no microwaves or electric stoves here! 

5. Those in the life of luxury (unless you're a super model), love food and have a plethora of options each day, multiple times a day.  925 million people go hungry everyday.  Because of this, 10.9 million children who are under 5 years old die in a year.  

6. Lastly, many people love the days they get to skip school or work due to bad weather conditions.  There are 121 million children who are of age to attend school - but can't due to their living conditions.  

So be thankful for what you're given, and next time you experience rolling blackouts, power and water shortages, and school/work cancellations - grab a book, a blanket, and feel damn lucky! 

Sources: 

https://www.cia.gov

http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html

http://www.globalissues.org/article/26/poverty-facts-and-stats

http://www.wfp.org/hunger/stats