Disasters @ MindSay

So the whole politics thing didn't really work out too well because by the time I started posting them all but five or six of the primary's/caucuses were already over... So I'm going to take a different path.

I would like to start out by sending out my deepest condolences to Myanmar and China.

As most of you already know, Myanmar was hit with a terrible cyclone just over 2 weeks ago, killing 34,273 and counting. The unfortunate part of the Myanmar cyclone, the part that hits hard, is the United Nation's estimate thar up to 40% of those who were killed in the cyclone were children.

Another thing that most of you already know, China was hit with a 7.9 earthquake, just a day ago, killing 10,000 and nearly 10,000 remain missing.

I can't even begin to imagine such disasters hitting home. Even Hurricanes Katrina, not to trivialize this tragic event, only had 1,500 deaths, which fail in comparison to the estimated 45,000 already dead between these two horrifying disasters.

I know that if something like this does happen close to home, as a EMT, that I will have a lot of wonderful people responding and working there asses off to find every last trapped person. I know that there are tons of people out there much like myself who have continued their education, by getting disaster response training. A little price to pay to be able to save thousands of people, hundreds of people, tens of people, or maybe just one person, but who knows who that person could be, it could be you.

I pray to all of you to follow in my and many others footsteps by getting disaster responses training. There is a some time and effort put into the training but its worth it even if all you save is one life.

I am not the person I once was. I was positive, decisive, goal oriented and fun.  I knew what I liked and didn't like and I was not afraid.

 

Now I don't like drawing attention to myself and I fear a lot of things and I have a weird sense of doom and gloom that fades in and out like the sun in winter time.  I seem to have lost my rose colored glasses somewhere...

 

I am so afraid of natural disasters, something I never gave much thought to at all.  While living in Florida I never blinked an eye at hurricane season, but now living in Alaska the possibility of an earthquake or tsuanmi creeps into my daily thoughts.  Where would we go?  What would we eat? Would our house survive? Are some of the questions I ruminate about.  Is it reasonable to have these thoughts or am I going nuts?  I think I'm becoming my parents.  They had this same type of negative attitude. 

 

I'm also really afraid of drunk drivers, and having one kill me and my family.  My fear has gotten so bad that when I drive at night, especially on Friday or Saturday nights, I white knuckle it home, having damn near a panic attack.  I urge to pull over when I see on-coming traffic.

 

I'm fighting these fear based thoughts, but it is getting harder and harder.

I've been a little depressed lately. Every morning I wake up to see images of death and destruction in the morning papers. It seems like half of the world is intent on annihilating itself through war, and the other half seems to be getting annihilated through natural disasters. Is the end of the world nigh? I didn't think it would happen in my life time. Sometimes I wonder if it was all that great an idea to have children. I mean what kind of world are they going to grow up in? Would it be something like one of those Asimov worlds...where people live in this surrealistic city, with no love no emotion, no fresh air! Uggg!! the very thought gives me the shivers.

A tsunami, a load of hurricanes in the USA and in the Pacfic and a earthquake in Pakistan. Beside that a lot of terrorist bombings, including the ones in London and the one on Bali. Those are the disasters of a year that I remember and I am sure there are a lot more. Here in Holland we gave 55 milion to the victims of the tsunami in Southern Asia. Now there is an earthquake in Pakistan and India. But the people now only give 7 milion. So why do they do that? The simple explanation was found out by a investigation by a bureau here in Holland. The people are tired of all the disasters. Ofcourse they found it sad for the people who were hit by the earthquake. But it's again another disaster. People are just like, again a disaster and again people want to donate the money. But they only have a certain amount of money and give not money to every good cause. The bad luck is that the disaster now happens in Pakistan a part of the world people are less connected to then the vacation-resorts in South-Asia that were hit by the tsunami or the 'superb power' USA that were hit by the hurricane. It's a country that people connect with terrorism. Also there is war between Pakistan and India so why would we support war? Or support terrorism? Simple the ones hit aren't the terrorist, they aren't the army-units (altough they were hit). No, they are the normal people. They are hit. The situation is worse at the moment, but worst is coming. A very cold winter is coming to the area. And that's probarly gonna cost more people their lifes then the earthquake. So they really need support, else the situation will be even more disatrous then it already is. Now, do I give money at the moment? No, but if they do the same as last year with the tsunami at my work, I am gonna donate money again. During that tsunami we could donate a several of hours to the victims of the tsunami. Those hours were worth the money you earned. I won't say how many hours I gave, but the amount of money I gave was around 25 euro. And that is gonna be the same for the earthquake-victims if there is an action like that. Else? I won't donate money. Why am I telling then here that people need the money? Simply because I didn't donate any money at another way to the tsunami and I am not going to for the earthquake. Simply if you give money to a charity it's still the question if the money ends up at the right thing. For example the 55 milion we, Dutch people, gave to the tsunami-victims. That money is also used for other causes. But yet not every cent is used, but they don't use it for the earthquake victims, that's strange. There are also stories going on, that one of the charity's how was given that money, didn't even use a cent for the tsunami but just used it to made their offices more perfect. With better chair, nicer carpet and stuff like that. That's also maybe why people are now giving less money, just because they don't trust the charity's anymore. And that's bad cause lot of the charity's mean it good. I don't know what I will do, I think at least there should be more money for the victims, but people also should be carefull where they give their money too. Well, tonight there is a special show for the victims of the earthquake on television. And that's one of the things I absolutly hate about that kinda dissasters. There are always tv-shows. That's..boring and unnessacry. Maybe people are gonna donate money now, but also they are not, because they think the same as me. And combined with the look on the charity's people have and maybe even combined with the combination that people don't have a band with Pakistan, can make that people don't donate money. But what if there is gonna be another dissaster and another? People will at some points really gonna put it on a hold. And then the victims don't have the support they need. So what now? I myself don't donate at this moment, but I say people need to donate. It's a bit strange I know. But let's say it different then. The people who were hit in the hurricanes in the USA, should be supported by their own goverment. Their goverment is at this moment spending money like water in the war in Iraq and gave loads of money to the victims of the tsunami. But they wouldn't be able to give the money to their own victims? Give it to them and show it. That way people won't send money for that cause and maybe leave some money for the really charity-goals like the earthquake. Well, that's an idea for now, but let's just hope it isn't needed. Let's hope not another dissaster hits our already broken world.

Tired... and it hasn't been that bad of a week. The boss even took us all to lunch today because we only had a half day of patients. Maybe it's a hormonal thing.

I have once again eaten myself stupid. It's most distressing to think about how much I've eaten over the last two days. I fixed just a sandwich for lunch, but ended up pigging out at Marie Callander's. Chicken with artichokes and mushrooms in a cheese sauce with rice pilaf. Then there was caramel apple cheesecake. Very nice!!!

I worry for the health of the nation with all the shit going on in the Gulf of Mexico. It's just not a good thing. Then there were all those earthquakes in CA today. Kind of makes me think of all the disaster movies that have been made of late.

I'm very glad tomorrow is Fri. It's a good thing. :)