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1 Billion People Live on Less Than a Dollar A Day

1 Billion People Live on Less Than a Dollar A Day

1 billion people live on less than a dollar a day

Late this summer I was lucky enough to travel to China and that stat resurfaced in my head. 1 billion people live on less than a dollar a day. Almost the population difference between the US and China.

While I didn’t see that kind of poverty in my visit, I did get a strong sense of the enormity of that number. The crowds were amazing. Everywhere we went, we dealt with the constant press of people. Some of whom noted our presence, (tall, white and obviously American, we stuck out like broken thumbs), but most didn’t notice. Mothers tended to children and fathers looked bored while standing in line, concerned more with getting where they’re going than what was going on with me.

I’m taking comfort in those memories as reminders as the election season finishes shaking out. Billions of people have other things to think about.

“The universe has as many different centers as there are living beings in it.” – Alexander Solzhenitsyn