Trying to make sense of it
Start counting to 50,000, out loud. And as you’re counting, be fully aware that each number is a precious life lost in the Haiti earthquake. Someone’s mom, someone’s dad, someone’s grandpa, someone’s grandma, someone’s sister, someone’s brother, someone’s uncle, someone’s aunt, someone’s daughter, someone’s son, someone’s friend.
You’ll be counting for almost 14 hours straight. If the 100,000 death toll is accurate, you’ll be counting for more than a day — uninterrupted.
We haven’t had a tragedy of this magnitude on this side of the world in a very long time. The death tolls from these types of tragedies are so mind-numbingly big that it can be easy to see these figures as merely numbers.
When I think about the pain and suffering that a single death can cause, I simply cannot imagine the pain and suffering that our neighbors in Haiti are feeling right now. When I think back to the pain we all felt as a country on 9/11, I’m left with no words when I see the devastating images coming from Haiti. Relative to population, their loss is equivalent to roughly 1,500,000 deaths here in America. Double that if the death toll is 100,000. All that loss in a matter of minutes. And that’s not to mention the people who are still trapped under the rubble waiting to be rescued and people who will die from disease if they don’t get help.
These are tough economic times for all of us. Every dollar counts in today’s tight budgets. You don’t have to give a lot. Actually, if every one of us gave 10 dollars, that would be more than 3 billion dollars in aid to Haiti.
So, can you spare 10? That’s what, lunch? Skip it. It’ll be the best fasting you’ll ever do. Trust me.
