Don't lie to yourself.
It’s so easy for humans to dismiss and justify why we shouldn’t or can’t help when a tragic event takes place in other areas of the world or even in neighborhoods that aren’t “our own”.
What goes through our heads to do this? Our ability to justify is miraculous - on some weird level. If there is one thing we are all experts at its the ability to justify why something is true when we know deep down it is not.
Many of us have become so good at justification that we don’t even notice that little voice saying, “you know you’re telling yourself nonsense.”
What’s your way of justifying not helping a fellow human out? “Oh, well I don’t help out when other tragedies occur, why should I help this time?” “I have my own problems to deal with and I don’t even know who these people are?” ”The government and non profits will help and I really don’t have the money or time to do something?” ”Because my kid is sick, my dog got run over and I’m behind on my car payment.” Some people will even justify why not to help based based on a religious story.
What is the story you tell yourself about why you shouldn’t help out? Do you tell yourself, it’s not my problem?
The fact is it is your problem. It is my problem. It is the world’s problem. The people of Haiti haven’t had it good even in the best of times. A poor nation. Plenty of hunger. Plenty of health problems. They, like any of us, could be struck by a tragedy not brought on by anything we did wrong.
The people of the world and especially the people of the US need to step up and take responsibility. That includes you. If you make $30,000 a year or more you are in the top 1/10th of 1% of the world’s wealthiest people. Did you know this?
You have it good compared to over 99.9% of the world. Yet we have the nerve to complain about how bad the U.S. economy is. Have you seen Haiti? Have you watched the news?
Or is it easier to turn a blind eye and pretend this doesn’t affect you? It does affect you because turning away affects you. It affects what you feel and think about yourself.
Now is a time to give whatever you can. Do what you can to help a helpless people. As you read these words another person there lost his or her life. A child. A mother. A brother. A sister. A father. A son. A daughter.
What would you want the world to do for you, if this happened where you live? Is it so far out of the realm of possibilities that an event like this could happen right where you are, this moment?
Do what you can. Give what you can. If you’re a blogger, write a post. Raise money on your blog using the widgets you can find on BloggersUnite.org. If you have physical strength and the freedom to travel, then go help. If you can’t move, and don’t have enough money to eat, then pray. If you can’t pray because you don’t believe it does anything, then send food or donate money to an organization like Doctors without Borders - who can make a direct difference. Just do something that makes a contribution.
Do something to help. Do anything.
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BloggersUnite for Haiti
http://www.bloggersunite.org/e…
Our goal is to share information about this disaster and how people around the world can provide aid to ongoing relief efforts.
Nations and aid organizations around the globe are scrambling to provide aid to Haiti in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake. While the listed date of this event to be 1/19/10, we ask that bloggers begin to submit relevant posts as soon as possible and continue to do so as long as more information becomes available and more aid for the citizens of Haiti is needed. We welcome any posts about current conditions in Haiti as well as how to donate money, supplies or man power to the ongoing disaster relief efforts. If you have any information to share about this tragic event with readers around the world, please post a link to your article here. We here at BloggersUnite send our thoughts and prayers out to those affected by this disaster. Get links to donation pages for organizations providing relief here: http://wamu.org/calendar/community_minute/haiti_earthquake_disaster_relief.php
1/16/10 jteitelman wrote:
Great comment. It is true that it is easy to sit by and watch while others help. I know all too often I think "Oh well, everyone else seems to be helping. The little I do will not make any difference."
The truth is that it does make a difference though. So, take just a moment and give what you can...even just a little...to help the people in Haiti who are dealing with devastation few of us can even imagine. I heard an NPR reported cry as he described the injured people left, alone, waiting for help outside a hotel where doctors are staying. Imagine if that person lying there was your child, your parent. Please give so that these people can get the help they need and do not become part of the growing death toll in Haiti!
1/17/10 julieannc wrote:
The number of casualties of the tragedy in Haiti is staggering. It makes me sad to think that even though the world's getting smaller, there are people out there that just don't seem to care. Everyone, including myself - no matter what background, what culture, what economic status - can definitely DO SOMETHING.
Thanks for sharing this post. It's a wake up call.
1/17/10 TonyB wrote:
it makes me sad to think that we spend so much money and time on wars and killing that we don't put the same amount of effort into saving lives.