My daugher's junior high school teacher is a wonderful woman who sends out an e-mail every day to her students, in the form of a class paper. Among those messages there was one that so moved me that I want to send it to you. Sorry it's a bit long.
When you woke this morning, did you look forward joyously1 to the day?
When you go to bed tonight, do you think you will be filled with satisfaction?
Do you think the place you are is precious2?
It is to you who cannot say right away, “Yes, of course” that I send this message.
If you read this, the things around you might start to look a little different.
In the world today, 6 billion 300 million people live.
If this world were shrunk3 to the size of a village,
what would it look like?
If 100 people lived in this village,
52 would be women, 48 would be men.
30 would be children, 70 would be adults.
7 would be aged.
70 would be nonwhite, 30 would be white.
61 would be Asian, 13 African, 13 from North and South America, 12 Europeans, and the remaining one from the South Pacific.
17 would speak Chinese, 9 English, 8 Hindi4 and Urdu5, 6 Spanish, 6 Russian, and 4 would speak Arabic. That would account for6 half the village. The other half would speak Bengal7, Portuguese, Indonesian, Japanese, German, French, or some other languages.
In such a village with so many sorts of folks, it would be very important to learn to understand people different from yourself and to accept others as they are.
But consider this. Of the 100 people in this village,
20 are undernourished, 1 is dying of starvation8, while 15 are overweight.
Of the wealth in this village, 6 people own 59% (all of them from the United States), 74 people own 39%, and 20 people share the remaining 2%.
Of the energy of this village, 20 people consume 80%, and 80 people share the remaining 20%.
75 people have some supply of food and a place to shelter9 them from the wind and the rain, but 25 do not. 17 have no clean, safe water to drink.
If you have money in the bank, money in your wallet and spare change somewhere around the house, then you are among the richest 8.
If you have a car, you are among the richest 7.
Among the villagers, 1 has a college education. 2 have computers. 14 cannot read.
If you can speak and act according to your faith and your conscience10 without harassment, imprisonment, torture or death, then you are more fortunate than 48, who can not.
If you do not live in fear of death by bombardment11, landmines12, or of rape13 or kidnapping14, then you are more fortunate than 20, who do.
In one year, 1 person in the village will die, but in the same year, 2 babies will be born, so that at the year's end the number of villagers will be 101.
If you can read this site, that means you are thrice-blessed.
First, because someone thought of you and sent you this message.
Second, because you are able to read.
Third, and most important, because you are alive.
Someone once said: “What you send out comes back again”.
So sing from the bottom of your heart,
dance with your body waving free,
and live, putting your soul into it.
And when you love,
love as though you have never been wounded,
even if you have.
And love the fact that you and others,
live here in this village.
Perhaps if enough of us learn to love our village,
it may yet be possible to save it from being torn apart.
我女儿的初中老师棒极了，她每天会以班报的形式给学生发电子邮件，其中有一篇深深地打动了我。我想转发给你们。抱歉，文章有点儿长。
早晨醒来时，你是否对这新的一天感到兴高采烈？
晚上睡觉时，你是否感到心满意足？
你是否珍惜自己所拥有的一切？
你不会立即回答，“当然是的。”因此，我给你发去这封邮件。
读完之后，你身边的事物也许会有所改变。
当今世界有63亿人。
假如这个世界缩小为一个村庄，
会是什么样呢？
假如有100人住在这个村子里，
52个是女人，48个是男人，
30个是儿童，70个是成人。
7个是老年人。
70个是非白种人，30个是白人。
61个是亚洲人，13个是非洲人，13个是南、北美洲人，12个是欧洲人，剩下的1个是南太平洋人。
17人说中国话，9人说英语，8人说印地语和乌尔都语，6人说西班牙语，6人说俄语，4人说阿拉伯语。这就占了整个村子一半的人口。其余一半人说孟加拉语、葡萄牙语、印尼语、日语、德语、法语以及其他语言。
在这么一个多民族的村庄里，学会理解与己不同的人并接受他们的不同，就非常重要了。
但是，再想想看，在村子里的100人中，
20人营养不良，1人快要饿死，而15人则过于肥胖。
6人拥有村子里59%的财富（他们全是美国人）。74人拥有39%的财富，而剩下的20人仅占2%的财富。
20人消耗了村子里80%的能源，80人消耗剩下的20%的能源。
75人能吃上饭，可以找到一个地方躲避风雨，但是还有25人却做不到这一点。17人不能喝上清洁安全的饮用水。
如果你在银行里存有钱，钱夹里也有钱，家里还有些闲钱，你就属于最富有的8个人之一。
如果你拥有小汽车，你就是最富裕的7个人之一。
在这些村民中，有1人上过大学，2人有电脑。14人是文盲。
如果你能按照自己的信仰和良心说话、做事，而不致遭到骚扰、监禁、折磨或死亡的威胁，你起码比48个人更幸运，因为他们不能这么做。
如果你没有生活在轰炸、地雷或是强奸、绑架这样的恐惧之中，你起码比20个人幸运，因为他们正生活在这类恐惧之中。
一年之中，村子里会有1人死亡，但就在同一年里，会有2个婴儿降生。这样一来，到了年底，村子里的人口将是101人。
如果你能看到这个网站，这就意味着你有三条理由感到幸运。
首先，因为有人想着你，才给你发这封邮件；
第二，因为你有阅读能力；
第三，也即最重要的，因为你仍然活着。
有人曾说过，“你发出去的东西都会回来的。”
因此，从内心深处唱吧，
自由扭动你的身体跳吧，
身心投入地活吧。
当你去爱时，
像从未受过伤害那样去爱，
即使你受到过伤害。
热爱一个事实：你和其他人
共同生活在这个村子里。
如果有足够的人学会热爱这个村子，
也许能挽救她，使她免遭分裂。
1. joyously adv． 快乐地，快活地
2． precious adj． 宝贵的
3． shrink v． 减少，收缩
4． Hindi n． 印地语
5． Urdu n． 乌尔都语
6． account for 占
7． Bengal n． 孟加拉语
8． starvation n． 饥饿，饿死
9． shelter from 掩蔽， 躲避
10． conscience n． 良心，道德心
11． bombardment n． 炮击， 轰击
12． landmine n． 地雷
13． rape [reip] n． 强奸
14． kidnap v． 诱拐(小孩)，绑架