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Because of the horrendous catastrophe that occurred towards the end of last week I have decided to switch gears a little bit and show the more positive side of our world. If by chance you live in a cave atop some far off mountain and have no clue of what I’m talking about here is a little background. Last Friday an astonishing 9.0 earthquake struck just off the northern coast of Japan causing a large tsunami to strike the island resulting in the deaths of more than 4000 people with that number expected to rise (CNN). There are also over 2200 people still missing or reported injured (CNN).
Whenever something like this happens it always seems to remind us of what is truly important and allows us to put things in perspective. It is truly heartwarming to see how the entire world has begun to rally around Japan sending their support in forms of teams or money. After only four days donors just in America have raised over $47,000,000 in relief funds (Preston). I love how no matter what is going on in the world when something this devastating happens everyone forgets about their petty problems and asks themselves what can I do to help.
I know it is so easy to only see the bad in whatever is around you but I think it is necessary to go out and look for the good as well. Because you always hear about the guy who got robbed at gunpoint but never about the person who freely gave.
Citation
Preston, Caroline, and Nicole Wallace. "Donors Give More than $47-Million for Japan Relief Efforts - News - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the Nonprofit World with News, Jobs, and Ideas." The Chronicle of Philanthropy. Web. 16 Mar. 2011. http://philanthropy.com/article/Donors-Give-More-than/126747/.
"Japan Quake Tsunami." This Just In - CNN.com Blogs. Web. 16 Mar. 2011. http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/16/japan-quake-live-blog-death-toll-expected-to-rise-as-crews-reach-more-areas/.
Dear Matthew,
ReplyDeleteI feel as if you really hit this subject right on point. You are right; whenever something bad happens in the world such as a natural disaster, it really does remind us of all the good things we have in our lives. I am also incredibly amazed and pleased that the whole world has in fact rallied around Japan in order to help contribute to their relief efforts. It is amazing to see all the people raising money for Japan.
“After only four days donors just in America have raised over $47,000,000 in relief funds (Preston).” This amount of money is just astonishing to see on paper. I cannot believe that people have raised this much money and in only America no less! It really shows how people care about the world whether they show it in their everyday lives or not. I am pleased to see that you included this statistic in your blog because it really opens the eyes to Americans to let them no how much everyone cares and how much effort is put into providing relief for other countries.
“I know it is so easy to only see the bad in whatever is around you but I think it is necessary to go out and look for the good as well.” I absolutely agree with this statement. It really shows that Americans do focus on the bad a lot of the times. It also shows that Americans need to spend more time looking at the good things they have in their lives and in their countries. I am glad to see a positive blog post like this after seeing so many negative ones.
Thank you so much for writing a positive blog about this issue. It really allows us to see the important things in life. I will keep reading more and more of your posts because you have a great outlook on the world and on our country. I am also pleased that you are not just sticking to focusing on the bad things in the world.
Sincerely,
Bluebird
Dear Corporations Related to Students,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the contrast from the normal bad things about corporations and such to the good when times are hard. Japan is facing a very hard time right now, but it really means a lot to their country when others are willing to help out.
"After only four days donors just in America have raised over $47,000,000 in relief funds." That's an astonishing amount, especially in such a short time frame. It really amazes me how people will put others first, even when they have things to worry about themselves, and they choose to help out anyway.
"Whenever something like this happens it always seems to remind us of what is truly important and allows us to put things in perspective." This is very true and I couldn't agree more. It really makes one realize just how unimportant their problems are compared to someone else's. The people of Japan are going through a lot, with the high number of deaths and missing people, it really makes one appreciate how strong their country is.
Thank you for writing about this topic. I learned just how much America is helping out and it really makes me proud to be an American and also appreciate Japan and the hard times they are facing.
Bunting
Dear Writer,
ReplyDeleteThis is such a true post, & it still saddens me to see such horrible things happening to innocent people. At least it was a natural disaster & not an act of terrorism, because that would cause more problems within itself!
"After only four days donors just in America have raised over $47,000,000 in relief funds" This is so impressive to me. I had no idea that we had raised that much. I am curious to know if that is normal American's like you & me who are texting in a code to donate $5 or is that like Congress sending that much or what?
"I know it is so easy to only see the bad in whatever is around you but I think it is necessary to go out and look for the good as well" I know I am guilty about always thinking about the "bad" in the world etc. etc. & how someone or something can improve. But your right, we should look on the bright side more often than we do. THere really are still good people out there in the world, sometimes we just have to open our eyes a little bit wider to see it.
This was a good post & way to switch gears & look at things on the bright side! Thanks for sharing!
Rhino