If the World were a village

Since I first saw Jared Leto's pics of Haïti, I think a lot more about the "underprivileged" people who live on the same planet as me.

While rummaging around in the web, visiting charity associations websites in order to have a better understanding of their actions, I read something which staggered me : The global village.

What if I let you read what it is ? I won't make any comment today. There's no need to.

THE GLOBAL VILLAGE

If

we could

reduce the world

population to a village of 100

people, keeping the proportions of

all the existing people on Earth, this village

would be made up of : 60 asians, 14 americans, 

14 africans, 12 europeans, 51 women, 49 men, 18 white,

82 non white, 33 christians, 67 non christians, 89 heterosexuals,

11 homosexuals. 20 people (men) would possess 8o% of the village 

and its wealth, 80 would live in shoddy houses, between 5 and 6 women 

would be raped, 67 people would be illiterate, 50 would suffer from denutrition,

5 children would work in slavery conditions, 2 people'd be near birth, 1 near death...

Can't take her sad expression out of my head.

"Take also the following into consideration :

If you have woken up this morning with more « health » than illness, you are luckier than the 1 million people who won’t be alive next week.

If you have never been in the danger of a battle, in loneliness, in prison, in the agony of torture, in the vise of hunger, you are luckier than 500 million people.

If you can go to the church without being threatened, tortured or jeered, you are luckier than 3 billion people.

If you have food in your fridge, clothes on, a roof above your head and a place where to sleep, you are richer than 75% of the inhabitants of the Earth.

If you have money at the bank, in your wallet and some change in a little box, you are among the 8% of the most blessed people of the world.

If your parents are still alive and still married, you are an exceptionnally rare person.

If you are reading this message, you do not belong to the 2 billion people who do not read."

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Maths lesson : Jared Leto + Haïti + book = HELP

Are you good at Maths ? I am. I have always been. In high school, I was in a maths class. So I know  how to add 1 to 1 and I know what the result of this extremely difficult calculation will be.


I am soooo intelligent.

With the glasses on, I'm even more intelligent

And because I am intelligent (or thanks to it), I know that if we add Jared Leto (jl) + Haïti (h) + book (b), it'll give HELP (H). Simple equation :

jl + h + b = H

Easy to solve. Jared Leto went to Haïti, he shot photographs in order to release a book which will be sold to raise funds for Haïti (click on the title above to read Jared Leto's "Haïti lives").

Easy ? You said easy ?

In fact, if we took a moment to look at it more closely, we'd realize that it is not really that easy. Actually, this simple equation (jl+h+b) involves one major unknown factor, which is to say one huuuuge "x". "X", the so famous "unknown quantity" which has made us drool on our exam papers for so many years at school. I'm sure you know what I am talking about.

Good way to solve a maths problem

So, because of that "x", our equation becomes a quadratic one :

jl + h + (X)b = H

If you're good (or not bad...see the difference ?) at Maths, you should have noticed that my equation is not a quadratic one as it involves only 1 x. And you'd be right. BUT, in this case, the 1 "x" is YOU. Yes, you who are reading me. You, the so complex human being.


You, who are so many and who could help so much and so many with very few. 

So my "X" is composed of at least 2 "x" :


- your will to be part of the adventure
- the number of you who will really buy the book.


Two different things as you might be ok to feel for the cause but might not be ok to buy the book which will help the said cause (because of many possible reasons : lack of money being the major one). The equation would thus now be :

jl + h + 2x(b) = H

...


Dang ! I cannot go further in the process of the creation of my equation. Seems that I have reached its limits. Can you guess why ? Easy-peasy : one cannot calculate a feeling. The compassion for the cause IS a feeling. So, one of my "x" is one "x" too many.


Anyway. 1 x is enough provided we multiply it, multiply it, multiply it...


Oh God ! You know what ? My equation can go to hell. I won't bother.


What does matter actually is this beautiful smiling little girl...








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Haïti is on Mars these days, thanks to Jared leto.

There are countries on this planet which desperately need help. Haïti is one of them.


The Republic of Haïti is the poorest country in the Americas and one of the poorest on Earth. It has not only a long history of oppression by dictators but it is also a land of countless natural disasters. The country is riddled with corruption, the unemployment rate is disastrous, and a great part of the population lives in appalling conditions of precariousness.


Of course (and unfortunately), Haïti is not alone in this case but the earthkaque that devastated the country a year ago had turned all the spotlights on the island...


...temporarily I'd say.


Temporarily because, as often happens in such cases, after the shock and the mobilization of the international community, the "affected" country sinks into oblivion...


...except for a small amount of people who are still helping.


Jared Leto of Thirty Seconds To Mars is in Haïti these days. On his website, he has posted a few pics of what he has seen there (click on the title of the message. You'll be directed to jaredleto.com). Two photos caught my attention. Here they are (hope it's allowed. If not, please do tell me, I'll remove them) :

Jared Leto has entitled these pics : "Cité Soleil 1" and "Cité Soleil 2".


Have you an idea of what the "Cité Soleil" is ? It is a slum. The largest in the capital of Port-au-Prince. It has been called by the United Nations "the most dangerous place on Earth".


Now that you know, look at the smile of the second child...


If you were not aware of the situation that prevails in Haïti, would you have guessed what is hidden behind that smile ? Illness, poverty, hunger, fear, violence, illiteracy quite often...


That's what makes it the most beautiful smile of the world, of Mars and of the whole universe.


Jared Leto has announced on his website that he was "shooting photographs for an upcoming book that (he is) releasing to raise much needed money for Haïti". Thank God, there are quite a few Jared Letos or Sean Penns on Earth who are still helping. I wish there were more.


I do not intend to give a moral lesson (I am very bad at that) but if the richest people of the Earth shared a small portion of their income, Haïti and a lot of other countries in trouble would be saved.


Anyway, I simply wanted to thank not only Jared Leto but all the people who contribute in any way to the "rescue" of the worst-off. All these people, known or unknown, who give their time, their money, their compassion (might also help).


In short, thanks to all the people who act.





Edit 01/17
I have just found this video. Florent Malouda (french soccer player) is among those who help.










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