We ARE the world

I find myself to be strangely moved by this video.

It's the remake of "We are the World," composed 25 years ago as an effort by artists all across the Western Hemisphere in response to the devastating famine that had Africa in a vise-like grip. The song, written by Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson, eventually sold more than 20 million units and helped raise $63,000,000 for famine relief efforts in Africa.

Now, 25 years later, after the most devastating humanitarian crisis the world has ever faced with the earthquake in Haiti, artists across the world (mostly in the Western Hemisphere) and across musical genres came together to record a new version. The goal? To raise awareness and action for the plight of Haiti. Here are some fast facts (courtesy of Foxnews):

• It was the strongest earthquake felt since 1770.
• 3 MILLION PEOPLE required emergency aid immediately after the earthquake. To give you some perspective, Quezon City's population is about 2.8 million people. So imagine the entire population of Quezon City seriously injured without access to medical care, water, and food.
• The forecast is that 10% of the affected people would die of either direct earthquake damage or related effects. That's 300,000 people. 

Now the big question is: should we - you and I and everyone in our immediate surroundings - be even concerned by something that a) happened so far away, b) we have no control of, c) can't do anything about, and d) is of a lower priority than the personal and professional problems that we deal with on a daily basis?

The answer to that is yes. We should be concerned. I think the biggest misconception about ANY tragedy that's so huge is that it takes the BIG people to solve it and that it takes BIG acts to fix it.

I don't believe that to be the case. Sure, I personally can't send enough money to Haiti to make a significant difference to the country. Hell, I probably can't send enough money to make a difference in the lives of a couple of people. But maybe the little amount that I donated can help ease the suffering of just one person. ONE person. One is always greater than Zero.

So I guess my personal plea to the few readers that I have in this blog is this: let's care about Haiti and do what we can given what we have. Pass the message to other folks to care about Haiti. Say a prayer or two for the people who have been affected by the quake and a thanksgiving prayer to the people who are directly involved in rescue operations. If you can, make a small donation - there are numerous ways to do so. If you can't donate, then try to write a small message of support to any organization involved with rescue efforts. Or blog about it so we can continue to drive awareness about the issue.

Will this make any difference to the situation in the Philippines, or to our own personal problems and issues? Maybe not now, and maybe not directly. But I firmly believe that the universe will find a way and conspire to return the thought to you. 

So say a little prayer for Haiti on top of all the other matters that you pray for. They'll really appreciate it. :)