Still heartbreaking
Slideshow
3.06.2012
Apathy
Wikipedia define Apathy as "a state of indifference, or the suppression of emotions such as concern, excitement, motivation and passion. An apathetic individual has an absence of interest in or concern about emotional, social, spiritual, philosophical and/or physical life. But contrary to this, an apathetic individual may take interest in emotional, social, spiritual, philosophical and/or physical life's attributes. Not necessarily to end that apathy but in order to find a deeper meaning to the existential meaning of being, part of which necessitates apathy, for we are by definition 'without meaning'."
A very dear friend of mine is busting her booty to do all she can to help out with the tornado recovery and this morning, she was very upset by the lack of effort and even lack of interest from so many who are fully capable of helping in some way. I don't really understand how anyone can sit by and just watch the suffering of others and not do anything. I can't really say that I was specifically "raised" to help others, but I know that I must have had this belief ingrained into my personality somewhere along the way. And it's etched so deeply in who I am, that I really can NOT comprehend not taking action.
I've seen hundreds, perhaps thousands, of interactions between volunteers and people inquiring about donations and it just sickens me that there are still some who don't feel compelled to do their part. And then there are some who have been told that they are not needed and would just be "in the way".
My friends family was directly affected by the destruction and she has been working very hard to help clear debris and salvage what can be saved. Even if you don't know someone who was displaced from their home, how can you just do nothing at all when an entire community close to you has been devastated?
It's only 20 miles from where my son lives, to my mothers home. It's only 10 from son's to my niece's. Everyone that I know who is still living "back home" is within that range of distance. People are going hundreds of miles to help out and yet, there are far too many who are in neighboring communities who seem to be going out of their way to ignore the problem.
A very dear friend of mine is busting her booty to do all she can to help out with the tornado recovery and this morning, she was very upset by the lack of effort and even lack of interest from so many who are fully capable of helping in some way. I don't really understand how anyone can sit by and just watch the suffering of others and not do anything. I can't really say that I was specifically "raised" to help others, but I know that I must have had this belief ingrained into my personality somewhere along the way. And it's etched so deeply in who I am, that I really can NOT comprehend not taking action.
I've seen hundreds, perhaps thousands, of interactions between volunteers and people inquiring about donations and it just sickens me that there are still some who don't feel compelled to do their part. And then there are some who have been told that they are not needed and would just be "in the way".
My friends family was directly affected by the destruction and she has been working very hard to help clear debris and salvage what can be saved. Even if you don't know someone who was displaced from their home, how can you just do nothing at all when an entire community close to you has been devastated?
It's only 20 miles from where my son lives, to my mothers home. It's only 10 from son's to my niece's. Everyone that I know who is still living "back home" is within that range of distance. People are going hundreds of miles to help out and yet, there are far too many who are in neighboring communities who seem to be going out of their way to ignore the problem.
3.05.2012
The day my heart stopped for 2.5 hours
At 3:00pm (CST) on Friday, March 2nd, I received the most horrifying news that no mother ever wants to hear. My son’s high school was wiped out by a tornado and I was 200 miles away. It was hours before more information came rolling in as I waited, with my heart in my throat, for word from my son. It was the longest hours of my life. I had no idea if he was AT school, at a friends, or lying in a ditch somewhere dead or dying.
Friends from all over Southern Indiana (and across the country) were reassuring me that he was fine, but nothing they could possibly say would soothe my heart until I heard from him myself. It wasn't until 5:37pm that I finally got a message from him via a friends Facebook profile saying "I'm okay, mum." Then later he was able to text me more details, but I'm still waiting for a full account of the day.
I must say that my son is a real trooper. I heard from a former girlfriend of his, that he was calming her on the bus when she was having a major anxiety attack. Once he was safe and starting to relax a little, he realized that his trumpet was in the wreckage that was once his high school. I'm still waiting to hear how exactly he found out that his trumpet was ok, but he did tell me it was. I know this sounds like the silliest of concerns, but as a Junior in high school, he is working very diligently toward earning scholarships and that is his main instrument. If your potential college education was dependent on something you thought you'd lost in a tornado, it would seem like a HUGE deal to you!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)