A New Lens
This might be hard for some of you to read and fully take in, but I hope you will try. Consider it an experiment in perspective, an exercise in seeing the world through a slightly wider lens. (Written by a math teacher who loves numbers.)
There are now roughly eight billion people on this planet. While it’s difficult to find precise statistics on crime globally, we do know that approximately 0.14% of the world’s population is incarcerated. It is also estimated that another 0.14% are actively engaged in criminal activity but are not in jail. Let’s stretch this even further and add another intentionally generous estimate of 0.14% to account for behavior that is harmful, cruel, or criminal-like.
Eight billion multiplied by 0.42% equals roughly 33.6 million people.
Now subtract that number from the total population.
That leaves about 7,966,400,000 good humans.
People who are working hard, raising families, caring for loved ones, showing up for their jobs, volunteering, praying, learning, teaching, healing, and simply doing the best they can. I see us at the airport, in elevators, at restaurants, in places of worship, community centers, schools, hospitals, senior centers, just quietly living with kindness.
I think we are losing sight of this truth.
Good people rarely make the news. They are just here. They want to belong, to be loved, to contribute, to help, to share, to serve and be seen. When you walk into the post office, the doctor’s office, or the grocery store, look around. You are surrounded by good people trying to keep it all together.
If we reach out and connect, support, smile, and love one another our collective power is HUGE. Seven billion, nine hundred million strong. That’s the reality.
Many of us, though, are getting stuck on our screens, absorbing all the dark stories. Let me be clear…I am not being naïve. There are dark stories happening in our world, everywhere. And they weigh heavy on our hearts. It’s hard to know what to do with all the grief, fear, and overwhelm they stir up inside us.
But let’s try to widen our peripheral vision. Step away from the screens and take a good honest look at the people living alongside us. It’s hopeful.
Last week in the grocery store, a new mom was juggling a newborn in a snuggly while her spirited three-year-old wanted to sprint through the store with a can of beans. Iremember those days…so challenging! An older patron noticed the chaos, squatted down to the child’s eye level, and whispered, “Psssst…” The toddler froze, mesmerized. The man performed a fun magic trick, making a quarter disappear. It was so sweet and created just enough time for the mom to scoop her child back into the cart. The man handed the “magic quarter” to his new little friend with a big smile and both the mom,and I teared up. Powerful love.
Let someone go ahead of you in line. Wave to your neighbors. Bring soup to someone who’s healing. Offer patience where frustration would be easier. Send a smile across the aisle to a stranger. (I like that – “smile across the aisle”)
We are all carrying loss, grief, and overwhelm. Be the spark that helps lift one another. Collective love 7,966,400,000 strong can change the trajectory of our lives and our world.
I truly believe this.
I hope you do too.
“The news reports the exceptions; statistics reveal the rule – most people, most of the time, mean well.” – Hans Rosling
Love and gratitude,