How Do You Measure Life?

The U.N. released their list of the countries in the world with the highest human development.

http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/

So at the top was Norway and the bottom was Niger. Surprising. For once the an underdeveloped country was ranked at the bottom. Life there is horrible. Don't go there.

There are many socioeconomic factors that can contribute to this list. For one people live and die. The list takes into account life expectancy, literacy, education and standards of living for countries worldwide. It is a standard means of measuring well-being, especially child welfare. It is used to distinguish whether the country is a developed, a developing or an under-developed country, and also to measure the impact of economic policies on quality of life.

What does life mean to you? Are you a subordinate or in the dominant group? Are you in control of what happens to you, or are you to live life as expected? Do you believe in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs?

Contrary to popular belief, life is hard. The stresses of rich and poor countries are different. It seems that richer countries' stresses are self manifested. "I'm worried about my prom dress." Poorer countries are caught in between living for a goal or living for a life. "What am I suppose to do to live better?"

Misunderstood. Is it just a matter of culture? In my opinion people often take for granted how much communication is available to them. So when you some one in a (I hate the term)"third world" country with a cellphone the outsider questions why they have it.

Life is an equation with countless variables. What need is the most necessary. Food, water and shelter or trust, friends, and love.

Briefly put, I think this list is both unfair for the people who live in the underdeveloped countries with turmoil and that if this list proves a point, it is that exploitation benefits the wealthy and is a detriment to the poor.