The horrors of Mother Nature were witnessed first hand by the victims of the Boxing Day tsunami in South and Southeast Asia. In spite of our obstacles already as residents here in North America, I believe it’s our duty as humans helping one another in a time of desperation is what brings us together even more. With that said, I believe we are providing a strong amount of support for the victims by our domestic efforts in North America, worldwide partnerships, and we are even doing here in the United States alone.
In my opinion, North America’s efforts thus far have been extremely successful in rebuilding what they lost, both physically and emotionally. Whether help came from organizations such as the American Red Cross or the hearts of the people, assistance came from all areas of the globe. Celebrity-driven charity concerts were one of many endeavors to earn money along with efforts from the state and local levels. Even volunteers signed to go overseas to work first-hand with the victims. But with all these efforts being poured in to help, it begs to bring up another question: how important is this tsunami to the average citizen and what importance do their contributions make?
In the recent events happening in our area in the western hemisphere, our obligations to help foreign countries have shifted dramatically. After the events of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans as well as the deployment of troops in Iraq, the people living in the southern area of the United States have felt the impact of these catastrophes more so than the tsunami, but even so, North America has never given up hoping in reshaping the country that once was.
For the people who have given what they could for this cause, right now they could only pray for the people whose lives were, in any way, affected by the storm. In most religions, the teachings instruct us it’s better to give than to receive, so we would only hope that in our time of need, our sacrifices were not made in vain.