In response to a friend’s entry

A good friend of mine here on OD wrote an entry entitled “Why the Tsunami Helped the World.” He was able to find the silver lining in a very black cloud. An anonymous noter left him this note:

Have you ever lost somebody? IF you have then you will retract this entry. To feel the pain of losing one you love is a pain that hurts too deep to express. How can you say that this catasrophe, that ripped holes into hundreds of thousands of people’s hearts, be a good thing?

Here’s my thoughts…..

It is not the actual catastrophe that helped the world, it was the effect such an event had on it. The unnatural loss of life is never a good thing and it never a reason for celebration. But is a natural disaster really constitute unnatural loss of life?….Ok that’s another point.

But compare the effect of the attack on NYC’s Twin Towers to the effect of the monster tsunami. At first, the response from the global community to the events of 9111 were overwhelming. Country after country and leader after leader stood up and declared they would offer all and any help to America for the unprovoked attack on innocent people. Thousands of hundreds of people across America came together to support the survivors, offering love, prayer, cards, anything they could to the affected people. Like a stone dropped in a pond, the attack affected those closest to the Towers more than a young student in China. I can’t say for certain, but I’m certain to a teenager in Hong Kong, the attack is a distant memory. This past September marked the 2 year anniversary since such incident. And America itself has never been more divided since Civil War times on the actions that are being taken. An horrific event, that at one point united just about the entire world, has resulted in that same once-united world reduced to infighting and bickering. The important discussions in Situation Rooms around the world are bickering about the justification of the American response. Justifiable or not, right or wrong, that one horrid event has divided not just a country, but an entire world.

Now look at the effect of the earthquake and resulting tsunami. People across the world are rushing to aid the survivors of this event. Technology is being put in place to set up early warning systems for these people, in the hope this tragedy will never happen again. Churches, no matter their affiliations and beliefs, are sending aid in the shape of money, food, clothing and muscle to help rebuild the broken cities, roads and lives. But this is only a short time after the disaster. Within two months, will countries and people be arguing about who should be sending soldiers and where they should go? Will there be bickering over who should fund this aid and how these funds should be spent? I can’t predict the futures, but I highly doubt it. Governmental press agents might slip in mentions of how little one country gave in contrast to others. Some people may screech about not enough money spent or maybe too much money spent, but in the long run there will be no Congressional hearings and reports on the decisions made after the earthquake. The New York Times and Washington Post will continue to mention the earthquake and its effects, but soon it will no longer justify a front page spot. And like the attack, the tsunami has a ripple effect. Those closest to the epicenter are more effected than New Yorkers on the other side of the world. Already local papers have dropped the story from the front page, replaced by the news of the weather and upcoming Super Bowl. In two years time, it will be a distant memory to most Americans. It will not have provoked the political and social flurry the attacks have brought on.

The thing is the anonymous noter had a point. “This catastrophe, that ripped holes into hundreds of thousands of people’s hearts” is not a good thing. But Shawn had a point too. The global reaction to the tsunami was phenomenal and shows the depth of human kindness and sympathy. If the world was coming to an end and bent on its own destruction, for a moment, it was paused. Instead of attempting to bomb the hell out of itself, the global community is trying to rebuild a destroyed society. It is a good thing.e
I’m not yelling at you, I’m just frustrated
CalvinCoffeeGirl: I’m not saying London deserved it, but I’m trying to get people to realize that London “deserved” to be attacked as much as America did
CalvinCoffeeGirl: the point is no one deserves to have innocent people and children killed like that……..No One! And that goes for every country in the world
CalvinCoffeeGirl: and somehow, the world is telling me that the 3200 Americans matter less than the 49 Londoners
CalvinCoffeeGirl: I don’t care if it was 1 american and 1 Londoner……the same applies to both
CalvinCoffeeGirl: I’m not sure people are getting what I’m saying
Phantom6Knight: I agree with you. I think people are taking it too much to heart, which is understandable. The US is as much a hotspot as France for terrorism; they share the same ideology…. it’s just the US is seen as THE world power and thus we should be blamed for anything bad.
CalvinCoffeeGirl: Yah.
CalvinCoffeeGirl: I’m just not sure I’m saying it the right way, or people are understanding what I’m trying to say
CalvinCoffeeGirl: I dunno
Phantom6Knight: All things considered, it’s irrelevant whether American or French died, they have the same life value. How many people die in Ireland’s civil war and no one cares really? But the mass of people want someone to blame (and certainly not themselves)… they want to feel victimized and be pitied, to say to the world, “Look, we’re just as powerless as the US and 9/11, help us, sympathize.”
CalvinCoffeeGirl: Yah, thats my point…..A life is a life…….A child is a child……one is not more precious or important than another life
Phantom6Knight: that goes against capitalism though, where we all have assigned life-values that are different! 😉
CalvinCoffeeGirl: lol but of course
CalvinCoffeeGirl: lol
CalvinCoffeeGirl: Is it wrong that I love New York?
Phantom6Knight: No, it’s not. I love New York. I’m more of a NYer than an USer in a sense… whoo hoo for states-rights!
CalvinCoffeeGirl: lol
CalvinCoffeeGirl: I mean, I happen to be in Jersey right now, but I look out the window and I see the hills and I love the hills
CalvinCoffeeGirl: I love NY and the Hudson Valley
CalvinCoffeeGirl: I think its an amazing place to live
CalvinCoffeeGirl: and I think there are amazing people here too
CalvinCoffeeGirl: There are some really bad people too, but we’re not all horrible
Phantom6Knight: I believe people are angry and confused and lack the reasoning to understand why these issues as so powerful that people will sacrifice their lives. They put more faith in lofty words like “freedom” and “patriotism” without understanding what those words incur as consequences.
Phantom6Knight: For myself, I take everyone on a face-to-face basis; I dislike most people, but when I come to learn about the individual, I give them my utmost respect and trust… if that makes any sense.
CalvinCoffeeGirl: Lol…..so you didn’t like me when you first starting reading in my OD? 😉
CalvinCoffeeGirl: I’m just teasin’
CalvinCoffeeGirl: I know what you mean
Phantom6Knight: If I didn’t like you, I wouldn’t have noted you! But your words showed your thoughts and reasoning, and that enticed me in! 😉
CalvinCoffeeGirl: 🙂
CalvinCoffeeGirl: Just do me a favor?
Phantom6Knight: Sure. Anything.
CalvinCoffeeGirl: When you get a chance……Read the entries I wrote…..I mean really read them……and let me know what you think……if you think I went too far ever or whatever………totally honestly cause I’m really not sure about them
CalvinCoffeeGirl: Just whenever you have time
Phantom6Knight: Sounds like a plan. I’ll write you an email with all the thoughts, since 400 character-limites might take me a LOOOONG time!
CalvinCoffeeGirl: Yah, thats a good point
CalvinCoffeeGirl: OK thats great
CalvinCoffeeGirl: I just…………
CalvinCoffeeGirl: i dunno but it would really mean a lot to me
Phantom6Knight: I’d be honored to do it. Just be warned I don’t keep very up-to-date with the news, so most of my views are based on what I read on your diary, and personal insights.
CalvinCoffeeGirl: lol
CalvinCoffeeGirl: ok
CalvinCoffeeGirl: I tried to lay out what the news said before going on my rant
CalvinCoffeeGirl: but i dunno……I was pretty steamed
Phantom6Knight: I can imagine. Part of teh reason I keep away from the news (even though I work for a newspaper)… is because so much of it is prejudiced and unbalanced, it’s all subjective, and people take it for fact.
CalvinCoffeeGirl: Yah, and I’m highly aware of that too
Phantom6Knight: whoo hoo for us not being statistics then, huh!? 🙂
CalvinCoffeeGirl: There are also more and more Army, Marine, Air Force (etc) commercials on now too
CalvinCoffeeGirl: lol cheers to us 😉
CalvinCoffeeGirl: Those commercials make me realize how I am being bombarded all the time with propoganda and I have to watch what I believe and buy into
Phantom6Knight: the best is that now they play those commercials in theatres also!
CalvinCoffeeGirl: lol – yah I’ve seen them
CalvinCoffeeGirl: it also makes me think about movies and TV shows and the radio and comic strips……..how everything is propoganda made to make us feel a certain way
Phantom6Knight: for lack of a better word, we are “conditioned” into thinking.
CalvinCoffeeGirl: yah thats a good way of thinking about it
Phantom6Knight: My mom’s calling for help, so unfortunately I gotta go. But I’ll catch up with you soon I hope. And I’ll get on those entries ASAP! Enjoy the rest of your day. And don’t let those fools make you believe your thinking is wrong! Stand strong! 🙂
CalvinCoffeeGirl: OK Thanks
CalvinCoffeeGirl: Enjoy your cleaning 😉
Phantom6Knight: Take care of yourself. 🙂 And enjoy beating up anyone who opposed you! 😉
Phantom6Knight is away at 3:37:38 PM.