It has always fascinated me how Americans can step up and do good things in the face of misfortune or disaster.
If a neighbor needs an transplant operation, the neighborhood – be it city or county or parish – will join forces and fundraise and make the operation a reality.
When the Twin Towers came down, people sent in thousands of dollars to help make the lives of survivors a bit better.
When Katrina caused devastation, there were fundraising efforts and any number of volunteers to help New Orleans rebuild.
And now that Haiti has been leveled by an earthquake, people are again joining forces, raising millions of dollars, and sending in donations of tangible goods.
Americans excel at coordinating relief efforts.
But at the same time, we can’t seem to make sure every person makes a living wage and reduce the number of working poor. We can’t guarantee affordable health care for everyone without having hissy fits. We don’t want to invest in infrastructure projects to avoid disasters. We don’t welcome refugees from impoverished countries. And we don’t want to give up our SUVs in order to have cleaner air and possibly avoid the future crises of climate change.
What a contradiction! What a puzzle!
Sandra