100,000

At 7 a.m. Sunday morning techtonic plates (large pieces of the earth's crust) shifted in southeast asia enough to cause an earthquake that register @ 9.0 (the strongest the world has experienced in 40 years). A tsunami moved out from the epicenter of the earthquake at roughly 500 miles per hour. On islands and coasts stretching from Thailand to Somolia a wave hit. In some areas the wave was ten stories tall. In others, it was a rip tide that pulled out to sea 100's of yards in moments. In the wake we've found 80,427 dead and that's just because some of these places are so destroyed that people can't physically get there to count them. As of now, the expectation is that over 100,000 lives will have been snuffed out in a matter of moments and hours. What's worse is that relief organizations are saying that if we don't act appropriately, in a relatively timely manner, the number could concievably double because of those who who will contract diseases from contaminated drinking water and living conditions.
http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/12/29/asia.quake/index.html
100,000 people. 100,000 people? How do I begin to comprehend a number like that? A certain number of statiums filled with people? a small state's population? Who cares? These things still will not allow me to wrap my mind around such a staggering number. All of this within a few hours... And what will we do? How will we respond? How will I respond? I'll probably fold up my Chicago Tribune, put it in my pocket and walk away. We'll here that our country is sending a couple million dollars in aide and feel better. Heck, I may even try to give some of my own money to some organization putting together relief for these places. But what's it gonna do?
I'm not saying that we are wrong to send monetary aid, certainly not. That is very much a need, as the estimate right now is that this tsunami will cost 14 billion dollars (another unfathomable number). But even if there was enough money given to reconstruct homes, schools, hospitals, roads, etc. and were able to give everyone the medical attention and facilities they needed in a timely mannor, what would that do? 100,000 PEOPLE DIED! How many people were widowed or orphaned on Sunday? How many loved ones were left behind to put the pieces back together? I've never lost a parent, a spouse, a sibling, or a child. I know a few who have, and their grief is so sharp and penetrating. I'm not talking about great grandma, or the kid next door (please don't take that as insincere, but only to show the need for magnifying the intensity)! We are talking about each one of those 100,000 people being someone's child. Many someone's parent, spouse, or sibling. A person experiences a death that close, and it affects the way the whole group of people around them functions for days and weeks. However, for the people who experience the loss directly, the effects linger for months and years. Do the math to figure out how many immediate family memebers are left for each of the 100,000 and we are now talking, not just of large groups, but whole nations of people who are experiencing this sense of grief and loss right now. How dare I fold up that paper and treat it as just another headline. Don't tell me I am overreacting. I'll tell you that you are probably acting selfishly. On September 11th, 2001 2,752 people lost their lives and it mattered to you. You took it seriously. You grieved. You let it affect your daily life. 100,000 is not just a number. Don't fold it up and walk away, or throw it away and forget about it.