Posts tagged Haiti
Chile, Haiti and…
Feb 28th
As the images and information come in about the Chile earthquake, aftershocks and the resulting tsunamis, many of us are reminded of the earthquake in Haiti just over a month ago. All day, I’ve heard people comparing the two earthquakes (the Chile quake was perhaps 500x stronger than the Haiti quake). Of course, the most common question is, “Why was the damage so much less in Chile?”
That’s a question that can be pretty easily answered by anyone with knowledge of the two countries. Chile is located in the infamous “Ring of Fire”, where 90% of the world’s earthquakes occur. Yeah…90%. Haiti, on the other hand, is a country that hadn’t seen what could be considered a major earthquake since 1860 and not one of this magnitude in nearly 250 years. The Chilean people prepare for earthquakes. The Hatian people do not. Chilean buildings are made to withstand shaking (although many collapsed during this massive quake). Hatian buildings, many made of unreinforced concrete, crumbled under even modest shaking. So, the disproportionate amount of damage and casualties in Haiti is easy to understand, even if it’s difficult to swallow.
Unfortunately, there are still hundreds who lost their lives yesterday and hundreds of thousands who had to sleep outside last night. To them, the devastation is just as bad as Haiti. Their families will be forever changed by this event just like the families in Haiti. The big difference to you and me? This is not as “sexy” of a news story for the media to cover.
Is that an unfair assessment for me to make? Well, judging by the CNN coverage today that spent an hour showing a webcam in Hawaii waiting for a tsunami to hit (and the seeming disappointment by the anchors when nothing really happened), I think the news media will be done with this story in less than a week. It’s not going to make them money, not going to win them awards and not going to increase their ratings. So they will forget about it. And so will we.
Need proof? We’re already letting Haiti slip from our minds. Before yesterday, when was the last time you thought about Haiti? Did you think about the fact that millions are sleeping outside in the rain? Did you think about the separated families, the children stuck in UNICEF camps and those who can’t leave the country because of government corruption?
And even if you have thought about Haiti, has it dominate your thoughts and conversation like it did a month ago? Is it as real to you today as it was then? Sadly, probably not. I confess that even though I think about and pray for Haiti regularly, it has slipped from the forefront of my thoughts. How in the world did I let that happen when there is so much work still to be done?
And what about New Orleans (which is still rebuilding) or Indonesia? Yeah, remember Indonesia? Six years ago, a massive earthquake and the accompanying tsunami killed over 230,000 people (roughly the same as the Haiti quake). Before all the tsunami talk yesterday, when was the last time you thought about that deadly wave in Indonesia? Have you prayed recently for the countless number of people who lost loved-ones in that tragedy? Have you looked to see how you might be able to help the people in that region? Again, I confess that I hadn’t until today. (I found this article which outlines the rebuilding success and remaining challenges).
As eager as I am to help in Chile and Haiti, right now there isn’t much I can do. But in 6 months or a year or 5 years, when these people really need the kind of help I can provide, will I have forgotten them? Will I, like the media outlets that inform me, have moved on to the next disaster, political scandal or “sexy” news story? Wow, I hope not. God, help us to remember…and to lend a hand and a voice when others have forgotten.
Paramedic vs. Police
Jan 20th
But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.
Genesis 50:19-21
As I listen and watch the news reports coming out of Haiti, I am struck by the number of people eager to help the people of this shaken country. Countless numbers of people are responding to this devastation by opening their wallets, their homes, their expertise and their hearts. Many of these people are followers of Jesus – doing the kind of stuff that he told us to do. Many others are not followers of Jesus. Perhaps they follow a different religious philosophy or are simply driven by their human nature to help those in need. Whatever the case, those on the ground in Port-au-Prince aren’t picky. We’ll help people now and sort out the stories of faith later.
Back home, it’s a different story. Here – far removed from the realities of a devastating earthquake – we have radio talkshow hosts trying to politicize the catastrophic loss of life (and our response to it), TV show hosts claiming that the people of Haiti brought this on themselves, newspaper columnists who feel this is a great time to talk about how the culture in Haiti is one of irresponsibility and countless numbers of others who are having vehement arguments over whether or not it’s “our responsibility” to take care of “those people”.
OK, fine. Everybody has the right to say whatever they want to say – even if what they want to say is completely ignorant and potentially dangerous (see, I just did it right there…said what I wanted to say). My main beef is not that they said what they said, but that all of the examples sited above claim or have claimed in the past to be “Christian”, which presumably means that they ascribe to the teachings of Jesus Christ – although the term is often applied to mean “American” or, perhaps “Republican”.
I sometimes wonder if these Christian titans have bothered to read the “Good Book” at all. If they have and if they believe what it says, I wonder why they’re asking the questions and making the statements they’re making. Should the question be “What political advantage will my opponents get from this?” or should it be “How can I come together – even with those of vastly different philosophical or political opinion – to help these people in need?” Should the question be “Did these people get what was coming to them?” or “How can I (someone who has been fortunate enough to NOT get what was coming to me) get these people the supplies they need to live?”
You see, in the story of Joseph told in the book of Genesis, not too many of us would have blamed Joseph if he had sent his brothers away with a harsh rebuke and empty hands. After all, they had left him in a pit and then sold him to a band of gypsies. He had every right to be angry and, at one point in the story, seems to be tempted to do them harm. But in the end, Joseph realizes what we all should realize: I’m not God!
It is not my place to decide whether these people “deserve” to live or die. It’s not my place to decide to help or not help them based on what advantage I might stand to gain from such assistance. I am not called to be judge or jury. I’m not even called to be the police. Indeed, we are all called to be paramedics – not looking to place blame or to investigate the situation, but to assess the needs and respond accordingly.
Let’s do what David did and reassure the people of Haiti and speak kindly to them. Let’s use our power and position (yes, we all have it) to accomplish the work of God, “saving many lives”.
