Last October, I was given a birthday gift that really inspired and impacted me . . .Tracy Kidder's book Mountains Beyond Mountains. It traces Paul Farmer's devotion to Haiti in his quest to "cure the world." His story is about a man who follows his passion and sacrafices first world superficialities, even risking his own life, in order to make a difference in the world and especially in some of the poorest communities. Medical anthropologist and physican, Dr. Farmer, dedicates his life to raising the standard of health care in underdeveloped societies and founded the international charity Partners In Health. His lifelong commitment to Haiti began when he was a student working in the villages. In his acceptance of the Heinz Award, Paul Farmer reminded us all that "as members of the world community, we must recognize that we can and should summon our collective resources to save the countless lives that were previously alleged to be beyond our help." Dr. Farmer's genuine compassion for humanity and playing such key roles in making a difference, especially in the lives of those that have been shunned or kept on the outskirts by the developed countries (United States).
For me, an area of moral clarity is:
you're in front of someone who's suffering
and you have the tools at your disposal
to alleviate that suffering
or even eradicate it,
and you act.
After breezing through Kidder's book, I developed a sympathy for the Haitians and frustration that they have been treated so poorly. And then, a 7.0 earthquake hits on January 12, 2010. What was already a poor, run down, country now became an even poorer, more run down, country with little infrastructure left. What little they had to begin with before the quake, became even scarcer to the point of such a disaster that we, the United States, actually woke up to step in. I'm definitely not complaining, but am sad at the fact that it took such a massive devastation and crisis for the country to get some help and sympathy (although still not by everyone - Pat Robertson - cough, cough).I remember when I first turned on the TV and saw the news about the earthquake in Haiti. I was so distraught . . .and still am. How can this country overcome this terrible loss? Buildings ruined, beyond repair, death toll rising each day, hundreds of thousands, and too many orphaned children. What's even more sickening is that some people are trying to profit from this tragedy at the expense of others, especially the children. The orphanage and hospitals are under extreme security for fear that children will be snatched and sold in to prostitution or trafficking. Really, just awful. . .
The world got a wake up call .. . very unfortunate that it had to be so severe and affect so many innocent souls. . . but we were again smacked in the face. Death happens so often around us that is mostly beyond our control. Mother nature (arguably very impacted by us humans) is strong and can take away life and destroy communities in an instant. It puts war and every day violence in perspective a little. Let's cherish life, appreciate what we have and all around us, and live by helping others. We are all co-existing and sharing the same planet, all vulnerable to the natural occurances and cycles of life. Why should we wait until a population is in such suffering, drowning even, until we offer a hand to pull him out of water? By then, it could be too late and difficult to repair . . .
No comments:
Post a Comment