Natural disasters bring out the best in us

Call me ignorant but does anyone else find it weird the way natural disasters bring out the best in us - the world unites to help survivors rebuild their lives with the massive mobilisation of resources and logistics support - even as somewhere else on the planet - many places in truth - there are people from the same countries willfully killing and destroying the lives and property of others in the name of war - only to have to use even more precious resource to help them rebuild again? Surely this is madness? How can it be that innocent people are killed in a war and it’s called ‘unfortunate‘ (followed often by an apology at a political level) and yet all over the world we are so touched by the miracle of an 8 year old boy and his 10 year old sister surviving eight days trapped in a building (and what a victory for hope that was!).

Our Humanity drives us to keep searching and hoping and praying and fighting to help one child live... whilst we destroy other children, other desperate innocent children in places where there is conflict over who has the ear of the real God, who has resources coveted by others, who are bonafide humans, who owns bits of the planet and so on. What a species! We have the knowledge and awareness and power and ability to create another way for ourselves, to consciously evolve, yet we still get stuck in religious, political, cultural, egoic bogs that inhibit us and even threaten our own demise. I know, I know ‘it’s complicated’ and I just don’t understand the realities of the global village....maybe none of us do. All the more reason to pursue real solutions to our problems.

Haiti has suffered an utterly devastating and catastrophic earthquake. I have blogged before about my vision of transforming the ‘armed services’ into simply ‘The Services‘ - highly organised professionals from all over the world who can be mobilised at short notice to go where they are needed and provide food and water, shelter, medical aid and infrastructure support, along with empathy and compassion and emotional support. I predict we are going to need more capacity for responding to large scale natural disaster as (especially) storms and floods occur as a result of climate change (regardless of what is causing it). Surely we have enough on our plates to manage without adding war to the mix? We still don’t have everyone on the planet fed, housed and educated by a long shot. Wouldn’t people serving in ‘The Services‘ get more job satisfaction from saving lives and empowering people and communities rather than destroying them?

As help flows more effectively to survivors in Haiti and they begin to rally and support each other in their grief; as time ticks by creating some space from the shock, death and destruction, the stories of community unification are now emerging out of the chaos. Haiti faces a new reality and will adjust to it in time - the people are a lot tougher and more resilient than perhaps we might be given a similar event here in New Zealand. And, unlike the massive earthquakes in Pakistan and China in recent times, we are up close and personal with Haiti because every news agency seems to be there with cameras - we are having a CNN survivor reality TV show - the media is doing its ‘media thing’ and we seem to be addicted.

Haiti’s earthquake is a teacher for us all. The question is, are we willing learners? What would happen if we had to deal with a ‘biggie’? Are we ready? Info for Kiwis is at www.getthru.govt.nz - check out your own local authorities plans and information. If it doesn’t give you the info you need contact them and ask for it. We may never need to put our plan into action...and...be like a girl/boy scout and be organised at least minimally for a crisis - that is what real ‘insurance‘ is - conscious preparedness for the worst scenario without obsessing and living in fear of ‘what if...’. I call it being practical and sensible and taking personal responsibilit.

I find myself personally challenged by Haiti to consider how I can contribute in an emergency rather than assuming I will be a victim someone else will have to take care of. We can all do our bit to be as ‘sorted’ as we can so the resources can be deployed where they are really needed in a crisis - for the young, the old and the vulnerable.

Returning to Haiti, there are certainly plenty of ways you can help, - one organisation is www.Avaaz.org. Avaaz is an independent, not-for-profit global campaigning organization that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people inform global decision-making. (Avaaz means "voice" in many languages.) Avaaz receives no money from governments or corporations, and is staffed by a global team based in Ottawa, London, Rio de Janeiro, New York, Buenos Aires, and Geneva. To support the people of Haiti via Avaaz go to: https://secure.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_haiti.

I stand with the millions all over the world who are holding the people of Haiti in our hearts as they navigate thier way through this devastation.