Newspaper Article
A few
years ago at the Seattle Olympics, nine contestants, all physically
or mentally disabled, assembeled at the starting line for the
100 yard dash. At the gun they all started out, not exactly in
a dash, but with the relish to run the race to the finish and
win. All, that is, except one boy who stumbled on the asphalt,
tumbled over a few times and began to cry.
The other
eight heard the boy cry. They slowed down and paused. Then they
all turned around and went back. Every one of them. One girl
with Down's Syndrome bent down and kissed him and said "This
will make it better". Then all nine linked arms and walked
to the finish line.
Everyone
in the stadium stood, and the cheering went on for ten minutes.
The World
as 100 People
If we
could shrink the world's population to a village of 100 people
with all existing human ratios remaining the same, there would
be 57 Asians, 21 Europeans, 14 from the western hemisphere (north
and south), and eight Africans. Fifty-two would be female. 48
male. Seventy would be non-white, 30 white. Seventy would be
non-Christian, 30 Christian. Eighty-nine would be heterosexual,
11 homosexual. Fifty-nine percent of the entire world's wealth
would be in the hands of only six people, and all six would be
citizens of the United States. Eighty would live in substandard
housing. Seventy would be unabie to read. Fifty would suffer
from malnutrition. One would be near death, one would be near
birth. One would have third level education. One would own a
computer. When one considers our world from such a compressed
perspective, the need for both acceptance and understanding becomes
glaringly apparent.
