1 – Poor, 2 – Below Average, 3 – Average, 4 – Above Average, 5 – Excellent

A friend of mine is going through tumultuous times and speaking to her sparked a random question. If God decided to flood the earth, send armies of locusts, turn water into blood, or commit any Apocalypse-like events to end our existence right this minute, how would I fill out the question on the comment card at the Pearly Gates “What did you think of your stay on Earth”?

When it comes to my stay personally, I would have to give it a solid 5. I base my score on two factors: the circumstance / environment I was given and how well I was able to strive within it. No one can choose to be born in a poor village within a third world country any more or less than they can choose to be born in a wealthy family within a first world country. Nor could children make their parents love them and raise them properly. All we can do is deal with our environment the best we can. I am lucky enough to be part of a middle class family with loving parents who tried their best to raise me well. I was encouraged to try new things and we were able to afford those opportunities. But whatever situation we’re in, it is up to us to make the best of it. I haven’t had many roadblocks but the ones I did encounter, I put in the effort to learn the lessons and foster personal growth. If there were a nuclear holocaust right this minute, I would vaporize a happy person without regrets. I earned the 5 with some luck on my side.

When it comes to the state of the world, I would have to give it a dismal 1. This has to be put simply and bluntly – the world is messed up. How did we let it be run into the ground? Why are we sitting at home watching Jeremy Roenick inarticulately defend his multimillion-dollar salary on network television instead of getting up and helping turn things around? There is so much to be done...helping famished children in third world countries, stopping the War on “Terror”, raising social awareness, etc. Those who need help can’t help themselves and those who have the ability to help don’t want to help. How long can we survive like this?