1100 people are dead in Bangladesh. Thousands are dead from hurricanes, tsunamis, cyclones, earthquakes. All of this within months. I remember a time when a catastrophic event like that which just happened in Bangladesh would galvanize the western world and an outpouring of support would flood to the survivors. But now- I see fewer and fewer efforts. Is it because these events happen almost weekly? Is it because we as a culture are tapped out? Surely not! Is it because the "news" has become so watered down with local arguments and the national Big Three (Iraq, Iran and the 2008 election) that there is no room for anything else?
Personally, I'm having trouble feeling anything- I want the suffering to stop but I haven't a clue what to do. I look up info about Darfur, Bangladesh, Pakistan, homelessness in America... you name it- Celebrity talking heads like to say that we must do something- that we have an obligation. But what? Does it really matter who I vote for? Will that end the genocide in Darfur? Will that stop the cyclones? Will any letters I send to congressional staff really make a difference in a starving childs life?
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