Insignificance

[judecorp]

It feels so insignificant and selfish to continue writing about my day to day affairs when there is catastrophe out there. Part of me knows that there is always catastrophe out there somewhere and that the entire idea of life going on is exactly what keeps it moving. Indeed, without a little selfishness, our existence would just be a continual dwelling on past bad events. True.

But at the same time, I can't help but feel like a major heel writing about things like work and eating junk food, when there are people and animals floating around dead in a flooded and toxic city I have never had the privilege to visit and know only through the eyes of Hot Mormon Julie on the Real World. I know that I can't write All Disaster All the Time, and I know I can't fall into my lifelong trap where a bad situation somewhere leaves me guilty feelings where I don't deserve any enjoyment. But still.

My heart just goes out to all of those creatures, four-legged and two, living and dead, out in the Gulf Coast area. I still keenly remember buying toiletries and bringing them to Ground Zero. I wish it were equally as easy for me to help out, even in a little way, this time. (Aside from donating to the Red Cross, we've already done that.)

Comments

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

I'm seriously jealous of your Julie-ness. (And for the record, Mormons are required to keep all of that emergency stuff in their basements. It's so that if there is a disaster, the Mormons will keep on thriving, yo!)

I think it's easy for people to sit behind their televisions and computer screens and yell at people because they can't relate. I think it's easy to look at all the people stuck in their attics and say, "Foolish people! Why didn't you leave?" because they haven't been in a situation where they had to choose. I think it's easier to concentrate on the few people who /could/ have left (and chose not to) rather than the people who need to be exacuated from hospitals and prisons, just like it's easier to concentrate on some looters instead of all of the people stranded on their rooftops praying for help... and drinking water.

Besides, it's so much easier to blame the people for not evacuating, because then you don't have to think about helping out. Why should you help someone who chose their fate with their own stupidity, right?