"Monastics," says author Philip Yancey, "have a practice they call statio that means, simply stopping one thing before beginning another:

Rather than rushing from one task to the next, use for a moment and recognize the time between times. Before dialing the phone, pause and think about the conversation and the person on the other end. After reading from a book, pause and think back through what you learned and how you were moved. After watching a television show, pause and ask what it contributed to your life. Before reading the Bible, pause and ask for a spirit of attention. Do this often enough and even mechanical acts become conscious, mindful."

Philip Yancey worked for 10 years as an Editor and then Publisher for Campus Life magazine before beginning a career as a freelance writer in the 1980s. He has written over 20 books and is among this generation’s most respected Christian authors.

In July of 1998, consumer watchdog Ralph Nader published an "open letter" to billionaire Bill Gates. In it he points out Mr. Gates' immense wealth in comparison to almost every other living being on the planet. The letter begins:

Dear Mr. Gates:

An astonishing calculation comes from Professor Edward Wolff of New York University and presents an important opportunity for you. Professor Wolff, a wealth economics specialist, estimated that your net wealth is greater than the combined net worth of the poorest 40% of Americans (106 million people). That includes their home equity, pensions, mutual funds and 401(k) plans, but excludes their cars.

When Professor Wolff made his analysis, your net worth was only $40 billion. Now, according to the latest Forbes listing of billionaires, your assets exceed $51 billion, and that may be outdated outdated indeed ... $75 billion as of September 2013! ... So it is fair to assume that the mostly secondhand cars of these 106 million Americans can now be included and then some.

Nader went on to suggest that Gates call his good friend Warren Buffet to arrange a conference on "National and Global Wealth Disparities and What to Do About It." His hope was to enlist the help of Gates and all his billionaire buddies to draw up policies and plans to redistribute global wealth.

"With the dual sweep of the Gates-Buffett hands," Nader concluded, "the serious and conse­quential plight of humanity would become a matter of high alert for all those business colleagues and acquaintances of yours who aspire to move from success to significance."

No one, according to Nader, should be richer than any 100 million other people!