THE TSUNAMI IN JAPAN
I feel that I would be remiss if I did not take a day off from reporting my usual frivolity and basic entertainments for a moment of reflection on the incredible human tragedy brought on by the earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan on Thursday. Like so many of us far away from a tragic event, I could not even begin to wrap my head around the complete horror of it until last night. I can’t even figure one iota of how they’re going to deal with the devastation, on every level. I’m relieved that there are so many good people who do know where to begin, and who are hard at work over there as I write this.
Once again, as with 9/11, the Haiti earthquake last year, and the 2004 Thailand tsunami, we each need to realize that, no matter our lot in life, it can always be worse. I’m not meaning to minimize anyone’s personal pain over anything; rather I’m just pointing out something that needs to be pointed out to all of us at times, including me. Each of our problems are valid, but it does help to be aware of life’s big picture.
I have nothing profound to say on the subject; I just had to mark it in a small way. For those of you who are like me, and wish there was something we could do to make it all go back to normal for the Japanese people, you might consider simply donating to a relief fund. Every little bit helps. But, please be aware of the countless scammers out there. There are many reputable charities, so please check with friends and associates on the validity of any you may choose to contribute to, and perhaps do a background check on them, as well.
Here are just a few I believe are for real, but please remember to check them out for yourself, too:
Or just go to CharityNavigator.org and read what they have to say on the subject: tinyurl.com/6zge34f
If every person who’s more fortunate than those in Japan each donated just $5., that would be a start.
And no worries here–back to shallow-ness tomorrow.
