Our World Is Perfect – On Average

By Shlomo Maital

   Our world is perfect.    But – on average.

   A recent BBC report noted that “More than half the world’s population will be classed as obese or overweight by 2035 if action is not taken, the World Obesity Federation warns.  More than four billion people will be affected, with rates rising fastest among children, its report says. Low or middle-income countries in Africa and Asia are expected to see the greatest rises.  The report predicts the cost of obesity will amount to more than $4tn annually by 2035, equating to 3% of global Gross Domestic Product.”

   And at the same time the world is afflicted by obesity, it is afflicted by hunger – one person in 10 is hungry. “As many as 828 million people were affected by hunger in 2021 – 46 million people more from a year earlier and 150 million more from 2019. After remaining relatively unchanged since 2015, the proportion of people affected by hunger jumped in 2020 and continued to rise in 2021, to 9.8% of the world population.”

     It is like the joke about the skilled carpenter, whose shelves were always 1 cm. too long or 1 cm. too short – but on average, perfect. 

     On average, there is enough food – just that many eat too much, and many lack food. 

      The same is true with world wealth.  There is adequate wealth in the world for all.

      However — the richest 1 percent captured 54 percent of new global wealth over the past decade  — and  this has accelerated to 63 percent in the past two years. Some $42 trillion of new wealth was created between December 2019 and December 2021.  Little or none went to those who need it.

      According to a report by Longview Philanthropy:  If the global wealthiest 1 percent gave away 10 percent for a year —  they would generate $3.5 trillion over and above what already goes to charity each year. And with $3.5 trillion, we could do some pretty amazing things. Specifically, we could wipe out extreme poverty for a year and lift millions out of poverty once and for all ($258 billion), end hunger and malnutrition ($341 billion). Give everyone access to clean water and sanitation ($1.22 trillion). 

   And a lot more.

   It’s a perfect world.  On average.  Wealth, money, food – like manure, you need to spread it around for it to do good.

    And we just don’t.