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Did the Hurricanes Wash Away the Hate?
In the midst and aftermath of the destruction caused by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, I saw a number of comments in social media marveling at how people came together and served each other regardless of race, religion, or any other “us/them” division. Immediately before the hurricanes, the subject of hate was hot and furious in the various media. Then suddenly people weren’t talking about it. Something much bigger and much more immediate consumed our attention. So that left an intriguing question: did the hurricanes wash away the hate? Alas, no. It didn’t take long before a third hurricane, Maria, decimated America’s own Puerto Rico, and the horrific humanitarian crisis became…
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So Many Disasters! How to Respond?
Houston lies devastated by flood waters from Hurricane Harvey. Monsoon flooding has decimated parts of India, Bangladesh, and Nepal. Three more hurricanes at the same time left islands demolished and major portions of Florida without power. A once-in-a-century earthquake measuring 8.2 in Mexico buried people alive in some of the poorest areas. North Korea is threatening to obliterate us. And then there’s the news story few are hearing: four of the worst famines since WW II are ravaging South Sudan, Somalia, Yemen and Nigeria, putting 20 million people at risk of starvation, nearly half of whom are children, at a time when the U.S. talks of cutting back on aid.…
