The situation in cyclone-devastated Myanmar is becoming "more and more horrendous" and the death toll in the nation's delta region alone could top 100,000, said Shari Villarosa, the top U.S. diplomat in Myanmar.
I don't even have words for how this makes me feel, I don't believe there are any.
I heard on the news that a lot of Burmese immigrants in the Bay Area are a bit peeved at our Fearless Leader. They said something along the lines of, "you couldn't help during Katrina, but we're sending aid immediately to Burma?". I get their thought process, but it doesn't make the totals any less horrifying.
Nature is grand and powerful and frightening. It reminds me that no, we are not in charge here. . Not even a little. Human suffering is truly heartbreaking. In the face of well planned genocide, we blame the evil that dwells in the hearts of man. In the face of arbitrary natural disasters, there is no place to lay blame. Some are unconscious enough to blame a god or blame the very innocent people left broken in the wake of such destruction. I think these things happen for no reason, it's just the rumblings of Nature doing its thing, and we are merely in its path. But we, as humans, need to make reason, and, if we reason well, something beautiful happens... we open our hearts and try to ease suffering. When things are at their worst is when humanity has the chance to rise above its mundane self and really become a vessel of compassion, healing, love, caring, and generosity. We don't look to heaven; we look inward and become answers to people's prayers. We are the light of the world. I hope we can all shed that light on these people in peril and reach beyond political and geological borders to allow the healing to begin.
When terrible things like this happen I no longer ask questions like why is there suffering; I look into my heart and ask what can I do that can help ease the suffering. We are then galvanized, through love and caring, into something as powerful as arbitrary destruction: deliberate compassion and reconstruction. Together, we can act as a force of nature. We can help mend broken lives.
I look forward to being able to help in any way I can.
Avaaz.org -- MoveOn.org's international partner -- is promoting donations through the International Burmese Monks Organization.
Thank you...
I heard on the news that a lot of Burmese immigrants in the Bay Area are a bit peeved at our Fearless Leader. They said something along the lines of, "you couldn't help during Katrina, but we're sending aid immediately to Burma?". I get their thought process, but it doesn't make the totals any less horrifying.
They just have more.
When terrible things like this happen I no longer ask questions like why is there suffering; I look into my heart and ask what can I do that can help ease the suffering. We are then galvanized, through love and caring, into something as powerful as arbitrary destruction: deliberate compassion and reconstruction. Together, we can act as a force of nature. We can help mend broken lives.
I look forward to being able to help in any way I can.