Hello Blogging Colleagues! Since we last shared “screen time” together, many things have happened. We celebrated All Saints Day, Día de los Muertos, Halloween or All Hallows’ Eve and Reformation Sunday just to name a few. But wait– I’ve missed one.

On October 31, we welcomed the 7 BILLIONTH person to this planet and place we call home (United Nations). In honor of this occasion, I have keyed a letter to our newest member:

 

Dear 7 Billionth Person,

“Happy birthday to you,” child born somewhere in the human family! Welcome! Welcome to this place that displays all the depth and breadth and beauty and chaos that God is and creates– the land and the sky and seas, the flora and fauna, all the languages and phenotypes.

The New York Times posits that you may have been born somewhere in India and opens with the question “Feeling claustrophobic?” The article goes on to haggle over statistics, but that is not the most compelling focus for me.

I am told* that the global population will continue to increase during my lifetime—10 billion people by 2083. I’m also told that currently, 43% of the global population is about my age. Isn’t that amazing?

However, it is also estimated that in the country I live in, the United States, we consume double the resources used by the rest of the world. That means that if the current population and current consumption trends continue, by 2030, we’ll need the equivalent of two Earths to support you, me and the rest of our global family.

Well, 7 Billionth Person, we’ve got our work cut out for us. And, for the record, I’m not “feeling claustrophobic.” Yes, I’m feeling a sense of urgency that to live my life is to live it alongside and with attention to 7 billion other people’s well being and fullness of life…but I’m not claustrophobic.

In fact, I’m feeling more connected than ever. I know that it is that sense of connected commitment that will help us work and serve together to find balance and promise in this place we collectively call “home.”

Your Global Sister,

Mikka

 

*Want to learn more about what I was “told?” Visit this great site to find out how many people were alive when you were born and much more. Once you’re “told” post it back here! I look forward to read more about your story.

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