The World in which We Live

The world into which we were born grows smaller. More people live on the face of the earth today than in all other periods combined. This is a time of both unprecedented affluence and poverty. Two-thirds of the entire world’s population of 5.8 billion live in rural villages in "developing" countries, nearly all at poverty level or below, with inadequate diet, housing, and health conditions.

Many aspects of our consumer economy are based on greed. The practice of greed in our society has had a destructive influence throughout the world. In economic terms, the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer, both in the industrialized countries and in the Third World. The world environment suffers as the market devours natural resources without concern for the ecosystems that sustain us. Our souls suffer as well, because consumer goods and entertainment cannot fill the void left by the absence of community and compassionate service.