Hymn of the Big Wheel - week 3

Last night I read through the section of the liturgy called "List of Poverty". It takes about 10 minutes to read aloud and everyone who's spoken to me about it says that the experience is overwhelming and just difficult to get a grasp on what it contains.

That's the point.

Some of what is contained in it is as follows:
Almost half the world — over three billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day.
$50 Billion (USD) is spent on cigarettes in Europe each year.
$9 Billion (USD) is required to provide water and sanitation for all.
(you can read the whole thing from http://www.globalissues.org/article/26/poverty-facts-and-stats)

Previously I've heard it being read, and last night I read it through for the first time. It was everything that people say it is: overwhelming and difficult. Probably more so when you can actually see the words and numbers on the page.

I've been each week to the Hymn of the Big Wheel and plan to continue doing to. I suspect that as I do, each week the experience will be different, building up to a challenge that I hope won't be overwhelming for me personally, but quite possible to do.

It's easy to get lost in the weight of the enormity of the world's problems. I'm using this time each week to ask the question, "what's my response? what can I do?" For now those are some questions I can manage.