December 23, 2005 6:14 AM

Life may be suffering, but this goes above and beyond the call

In Kashmir, After the Quake, ‘Nothing’

I find it virtually impossible to grasp the enormity of the devastation of the Kashmiri earthquake. How does anyone who lives in and with the comfort and abundance we do reasonably expect to be able to get their head around the scope and breadth of the death and devastation visited upon a region that was desperately and agonizingly poor PRIOR to the earthquake?

Most of us fortunate enough to live in the United States and Canada will never, ever know anything resembling suffering or privation- and certainly nothing that even begins to approach what Kashmiris now face on a daily basis. Living in the most prosperous countries in the world certainly has it’s advantages, eh? There’s nothing quite like being insulated from crushing poverty and life-threatening conditions. Half a world away, though, thousands, perhaps millions would dearly love to have a mere portion of what we take for granted on a daily basis.

Just something to consider in this season of plenty….

Every home lost someone. Whoever happened to be in the house at the time. Most seem to be women….

I’ve seen children sitting on the rubble of their house, all alone, attempting to lift blocks and pull at metal bars… .

No one shows sympathy for their neighbors. Everyone has suffered. Rebuild. Tedious and numbing. Physically exhausting. People stare ahead at nothing…. Finish what they are doing…. Like a dream…..

The earthquake hit at school time…. In one minute. Some say a lost generation… .

It takes time to dig people out of heavy concrete-poured buildings. The villagers work tirelessly. Pakistanis from the surrounding small towns are arriving. Many came by climbing on passing trucks - sometimes 50 a load. They aren’t emergency workers or NGOs [nongovernmental organization workers]. Just normal people carrying nothing but a blanket to keep warm while they dig. Today I saw a man use a rusted metal ruler to dig out a survivor - cutting wires and all….

In the mountains the aid wasn’t coming to them, so they had to come to the aid. Carrying dead and injured on beds they hiked through landslides. Trails that no longer exist….

And when they arrived in Balakot, all that was waiting for them was an open field near the river. Crawling with people who have suffered the same fate. Helicopters finally came. The injured no longer cried. Most tears are for the survivors.

When we wish each other Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and/or Peace on Earth this Christmas season, we might just want to save a little something for those half a world away for whom Christmas is just another day to suffer and starve…if they don’t freeze to death first. If you really want to make a difference this year, take a little bit of your gift-buying money, and go here or here. We’re all familiar with the Red Cross, and having previously worked for Mercy Corps, I can vouch for their intentions and efficiency. Both organizations will turn your money into something that will do some good.

Just think…for the cost of one Xbox, you can feed a large number of people, perhaps even keeping a few from starvation. Wouldn’t that be a better way to truly honor the spirit of Christmas?

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This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on December 23, 2005 6:14 AM.

Show your kids that the Judeo-Christian ethic kicks @$$ was the previous entry in this blog.

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