Mo Money, Mo Problems

That is very interesting. I messed up years ago and prayed for God not to give me more money than I could handle, lol. I don’t make near what Romney makes, however I’m home with my family everynight and I get to kiss and hug my kids everyday. God is so awesome, I’m blessed beyond measure.

This is a cool site.  It is giving, or lending.  http://www.kiva.org/about/how  Basically you give money ($25) to a person in the third world and they can have the capitol to start a new business.  There is a 98% return rate so you can continually give that money and make a huge difference in a family life.

I’m blessed beyond measure as well, though when I see numbers like this I have to admit I don’t always realize how blessed I am.

If God came to me and said, I want to give you wealth, just tell me what percentage of the world would you like to be richer than and it will be done.  I’d probably say something like 75%, so I could sound humble, but also still be filthy rich.  I just checked to see what one person would have to earn in a year to be richer than 75% of the world. $3,400 a year.  

Thanks Chris, I’ve actually heard something about Kiva the other day.  Need to check them out.  

I like the juxtaposition of my salary (not 82,000, actually much less) versus the REST of the population of Earth. It makes my salary seem that much larger than I tend to think it is. Though it is important to note that there are many folks that live on much less than I do. They may not have the luxuries a life in America affords me, but that doesn’t make me any more valuable or them any less valuable. Costs of living being what they are 82,000 would have you living in great luxury in my town but would probably have you barely scraping by in say NYC. God has placed me in this world to do what I can with what I’ve been given, I only assume he’s done the same for others. 

Yeah, 82,000 in Manhattan is a lot different from 82K in Auburn.  We saw an episode of House Hunters International the other day in Paris, girl was shown an 80 square foot apartment for 150,000.  80 square feet!!

pretty i used the gnp of a small country to eat at Panera this morning…

Well in your defense they do have good breakfast!

must be that location, location, location everyone talks about. 

call me indifferent, but i find these money / salary comparisons silly (interesting perhaps, but silly all the same).  [i fully support jon byars' thoughts -- despite the team for whom he apparently cheers.]  

comparing the salary of a teacher in alabama to a farmer in tanzania makes absolutely zero sense.  the cost of living is drastically different — a couple of dollars a day is a WHOLE LOT of money to one and won’t buy a cup of coffee for the other.  and many societies don’t need/use money for everything they do in the first place.

we’ve got to find some other way to compare “wealth” — if comparing wealth is indeed so important.*  i’m sure i don’t have a good answer, but these numbers seem to accomplish nothing more than guilting some people into giving money away… or being thankful for what they have.  that’s not so bad, i guess, but let’s don’t act like this is an accurate comparison that has any meaning whatsoever.

instead let’s talk about how many hours one must work at their job to pay for / harvest one meal.  or how many months’ work is required for purchasing / building a house.  or whether good medical facilities are available.  or how many cows someone has to pay to get a wife.

* i’d argue it’s not very important at all.  better we go with something simple like “be generous with what you have.”  or “don’t be greedy and selfish.”  or “please share.”

Thanks for your thoughts, I was hoping you’d see this one and weigh in.  A lot of food for thought in your post, and do appreciate it.  By the way, how many cows does someone have to pay for a wife?  

if numbers like these help people be thankful for what they have, they are useful (innacurate and possibly dishonest, but useful).  and if readers realize they can afford to give money to help others — and do — that’s even more useful.  

though i might take issue with you being one of the few who can give money to be used for aid, relief, or missions.  i work alongside a whole lot of poor people.  people these charts would lead us to believe have nothing.  and some of them don’t.  but many of them do.  and when it comes time to help one another, they have the means.  now… put in the right hands, your $50 may go a lot further than their 50 cents.  but there are a lot of people we view as needy who are able to give — and do.  

as far as cows for a bride price go, it all depends on the people group you’re from, how young the girl is, whether she’s a virgin or not, how well she can hoe a field, how light-skinned she is, etc.  but it seems among the sukuma people (with whom i primarily work — they’re famous for keeping cattle), 5-30 cows is about right.

the prime minister of zimbabwe, though, paid $36,000 AND 10 cows as a bride price… for a second wife he never ended up marrying.  your interesting fact for the day.

We need to create an app that tells you how many cows your wife is worth.  On second thought, maybe we don’t.  

Thanks Chad for the figures. That is just amazing to me. I used your comparison to spark talk at the barber shop today. Some came close to mitt but in the end he out earned them, LOL

i mentioned it to my wife.  she says the light-skinned part wouldn’t go over well, but otherwise she thought it would be funny.