"America makes up less than 5% of the world's population. And this 5% owns a fifth of the world's wealth.

One billion people in the world do not have access to clean water, while the average American uses four hundred to six hundred liters of water a day.

Every seven seconds, somewhere in the world a child under age five dies of hunger, while Americans throw away 14% of the food we purchase.

Nearly one billion people in the world live on less than one American dollar a day. Another 2.5 billion people in the world live on less than two American dollars a day. More than half the world lives on less than $2 a day, while the average American teenager spends nearly $150 a week.

40% of people in the world lack basic sanitation, while 49 million diapers are used and thrown away in America every day.

1.6 billion people in the world have no electricity.

Nearly one billion people in the world cannot read or sign their name.

By far, most people in the world do not own a car. 1/3 of American families own 3 cars.

1 in 7 children worldwide (158 million) has to go to work every day just to survive.

Americans spend more annually on trash bags than nearly half of the world does on all goods.

Now, when many people get a glimpse of how the world really is, whether it's through travel or study or reading statistics like these ones just cited, it can quickly lead to guilt. We have so much, while others have so little.

Guilt is not helpful.

Honesty is helpful. Awareness is helpful. Knowledge is helpful.

Guilt isn't.

Human history has never witnessed the abundance that we consider normal. America is the wealthiest nation in the history of humanity. We have more resources than any group of people anywhere at any time has ever had. Ever.

God bless America?

God has.

And we should be very, very grateful.

One leader of the American government announced that 'the American life-style is not up for negotiation.' This can sound like a perfectly rational thing to say. It may even sound quite impressive to some, as in, 'We won't let anyone push us around.' Statements like this can even get a person elected. Because, after all, 'we've worked hard and we deserve what we've earned.'

But the problem is that for others in our world, this kind of statement is heard in an entirely different context.

Imagine hearing this as one of the 3 billion people on the planet that survive on $2 a day.

If you have the power, it can be hard to understand the voice of those who have no power. If you have choice, options, and luxuries, it can be hard to fathom the anger of those who don't. If you have always had enough food, it can be hard to understand the shouts of those whose stomachs are grumbling from hunger."

Make no mistake, you live a blessed life. So what are you doing about it?