Saturday, November 3, 2012

Disaster Response And You


So, the week is nearly over and I haven't posted once.

It's not that I haven't thought about it.  And, "No" I haven't lost interest.  There's just been so many negatives floating around this week that one has to question to make fun of them, or just let them go by and hopefully be forgotten.

Sorry, for those of you that enjoy it, the sarcasm and jokes will return in the future.

I'm lucky that I wasn't in an area affected by Hurricane Sandy.  Millions have suffered devastating losses in either loss of daily items taken for granted, property, or even worse, human life.  For many, it means starting life all over again.  For all, it means a moment to stand back and reflect.

I hold much empathy for those suffering.  I don't wish to seem cruel in any manner.  Yet, there's a thought deep inside that plagues me.  I've tried to cast it aside, but it keeps appearing over and over.

"How many of those demanding assistance from others have ever given assistance to others?"

The last decade has brought much devastation as the weather seems to be getting some sort of revenge on the way man has treated the world.  There have been terrible hurricanes on the Gulf Coast, and tornadoes throughout the Midwest.  Cities have been destroyed, lives changed and lost, and many have had their lives changed forever.

How much help did they receive from those now demanding assistance?

Now, the argument to this will be, "But look at the sheer numbers involved and the importance of the area.  New York is important to so many."

Let me ask, "To a farmer that has just had his home destroyed, his animals lost, and his crops ravaged by a tornado, what importance does New York City make?"  If this farmer isn't important to the citizens of the East Coast, why should the East Coast victims be important to the farmer?

See, it's not a matter of the numbers.  Human beings are human beings.  Everyone will be in need sometime in their life.  Who will be there for them if the importance is gauged by dollars and population, instead of simply that there's a human being in need?

We are attuned to finding excuses not to help, or, to simply turn our heads to those in need.  Our society has become so callous that we find solace in denial, and reality TV.  "It happened, it's over, let THEM deal with it, I've got my own life to live" seems to be the way that the majority think and respond.  Yet, when they are in need, questions arise as to why they seem forgotten.

My character in all my previous blogs is simply that, a character created.  He is a character that responds to the absurdities around him and embellishes them with sarcasm and hostility (to some extent) because they are truly going on.  He expresses what many feel, but fail to say.

"This is me talking now, no character."

Yes, the people along the East Coast need our help.  There is no doubt.  Many of us will give what they can.  Yet, there are those that have already put it aside because it doesn't directly affect them.

As a society, we need to change!  We need to see things through to the end and ensure each person will have the best chance at survival and getting their lives back together as possible.  But, not just for the folks in the metro areas.  This needs to carry down to the smallest renter in the mobile home park that just got hit by a tornado, flood, or other natural disaster.  Their lives are just as important as anyone else's.

If one doesn't think this so, then please, when you're in need, don't expect others to come to your rescue.  They may continue to believe the same as you and forget about your situation.  

Instead, look at the big picture of each of us taking a few moments to help each other.  Do you realize that if everyone on the East Coast were to give a dime when another catastrophe took place in some small burg in Nowhere, U.S.A. that it could completely rebuild the homes lost and restore hope to those in need?  A small dime would be all it would take.

Or, is it easier to turn on Honey Boo Boo and forget?

Think about it.  The answer lies deep within.