Standard of Living

Our standard of living has not changed in the U.S. for some time, but the following quote makes me sick:

You are rich.  I'm not speaking metaphorically or spiritually.  I mean it: You're rich.  If you're reading this book right now, you're most likely among the financially elite of the world and in history -- even if you're from a low-income household in America.  Did you drink clean water today without risk of death or disease?  Are you wearing a pair of shoes?  Do you have a dry, safe place to sleep tonight?  Did you eat today?  You are rich.  You are richer than billions of others.  The Gross National Income per capita in the United States in 2003 was $37,610.  In India it was $530.  In Ethiopia it was $90.

The quote comes from the book Hope Lives by Amber Van Schooneveld.  I discovered the quote on Greg Nettle's blog, "The Roar of Love".

It is sick that we pour so much of our own money into utilities so that we can have that higher standard of living.  I'm not saying we shouldn't have the higher standard of living, but must it cost so much? How much of our annual salaries do we pour out into ventures, like utilities that we take for granted, and give the money to people on the other end of that bill who probably don't need that much in the first place?

Am I making sense?  I just know that quote rumbles deep dread and unease in my soul. Knowing that all of the money I make, American society will tell me to keep for myself, while there really are little kids starving in Ethiopia.  I hate the quotes I hear like, "Drink your beer. There are sober kids in India."  What is that supposed to mean? To me, for people to say that, is revolting. Why are we so selfish? Use what you have; don't be wasteful. But don't binge just because you might be able to.  It's disgusting.