The Worst and Best of Humankind

A small crowd stands bewildered in the shadow of a massive uprooted tree beside a crushed dwelling. A barefoot young man runs for cover as the jungle around him spasms under the merciless assault of wind and rain. Fishing boats lie half-submerged like plastic toys crumpled by giant hands. Up to 100,000 men, women and children, reduced to decaying corpses, litter the landscape.

Men in clean and neatly pressed military uniforms confiscate a planeload of emergency aid from the tarmac. And a young girl responds to her government's request for a "yes" vote granting more authoritarian power to the ruling junta with a simple sign in her tiny hands that reads, "Hell no!"

Every so often the news of the day offers us a large-scale opportunity to observe the very best and the very worst of humanity. Both extremes often emerge from the same event. Such is the case with the devastation visited upon Myanmar last week.

The very worst of humanity has been demonstrated by a government that has repeatedly and deliberately, since the landfall of Cyclone Nargis, compounded misery upon misery for the sake of solidifying its despotic control over the people. CNN.com reported Tuesday that the latest in a series of post-storm atrocities involves allegations that the ruling junta is keeping the best foreign supplies for itself while doling out rotting food to the 2 million homeless storm victims.

If ever there were a sovereign government worthy of being overridden and displaced by the global community, it would be the current government of Myanmar.

The very best of humanity, on the other hand, can be found in the United Nations "flash appeal" to secure over $187 million in relief for the people of Myanmar. Humanity's best can be observed in the International Red Cross, which has already delivered 14 tons of building materials for the construction of emergency shelters. And the evil of Myanmar's rulers is being overshadowed by dozens of humanitarian organizations across America and around the world that are responding with urgency and generosity.

As you read this, please take a moment to consider how you may add your voice to the global chorus of kindness that is saying to a people ravaged by both nature and greed, "We are with you."

Comments

[Jen]

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