This past month has been filled with emotional turns in a way that I can’t recall anything similar. As the month started, like many people I was savoring and enjoying the exploits of the Olympics. Every time the Olympics return, I find myself encouraged and inspired by the stories of individuals overcoming incredible challenges to compete, by the examples of dedication and pursuit of excellence, and by the witnessing of athletes from around the world giving their best effort as the excel in the arena of sport. I watched many of the events each evening with my wife, four year old daughter, and two year old son. My daughter has been pretending to be Allyson Felix, Athing Mo, Katie Ledecky, and Simone Biles as she swims, runs and does acrobatics all over the house. The Olympics seem to be a celebration and reminder of goodness in the world. At least that is my perspective from watching on television. This year’s Olympics were even more special because we missed out on the event last year, and COVID seemed like it was going to prevent the games from happening entirely. In spite of all of the challenges, our world came together and rallied around athletes from around the globe as they brought their best to Tokyo.
Now, all of that hope, possibility, and enthusiasm seems to be waning and washing away. COVID cases are rising as well as COVID related deaths, particularly among those who are unable or unwilling to get vaccinated. Hospitals are surging in admissions and people are being confronted with the sobering truth that this pandemic is not behind us.
In addition, for the second time in eleven years, Haiti was hit with an earthquake above 7.0 in scale. This time, the earthquake followed quickly on the heels of the assassination of Haiti’s President just a little over a month ago, and has been quickly followed by tropical storms washing over the Caribbean island country and these storms are further slowing any rescue efforts for people trapped or injured by the collapse of buildings on the island.
At nearly the same time, Halfway around the world, the US pulled its last remaining troops out of Afghanistan, and the Taliban quickly moved across the country to take it over. Millions of Afghanis, fearful for their lives, made their way to the city of Kabul only to find that their President had disappeared, their government had collapsed, and the Taliban insurgency is once again in control. Now, there are tens of thousands of Afghan allies and supporters who had helped the US military in their war against the Taliban who are now trapped in country. I can’t imagine what this news must feel like for every man and woman who served as part of coalition forces in Afghanistan over the last twenty years.
The fact that so many people around the world have mobile devices that allow them to record video and take photos of what is happening around them also brings these tragedies around the globe into our lives in unprecedented ways. We witness the crowds gathering in Kabul trying to hold on to a cargo plane as it lifts off from the airport. We witness the collapse of buildings and hear the cries of people who are unsure of what to do.
All of this news overwhelms and incites fear, anxiety, anger, sadness, and despair in visceral ways. Those are perfectly normal responses to these kinds of tragedy. In the middle of those emotions we can also become paralyzed from action, or devote our energy to an attempt to assign blame. Someone has to be responsible for this, right?! Even in the case of the virus and earthquake there is a sense that something could have been done to prevent the spread of COVID or that someone could have ensured buildings were built to be more safe and resilient to earthquakes and floods. What are we to do?
Not all of us are in a position to take action, and for that reason we can feel a bit helpless and hopeless. In times like these we each need to hold on to hope and ground ourselves in gratitude. We could could be suffering in the aftermath of an earthquake, a coup, or grieving the loss of a loved one from COVID. Hold fast to gratitude for the gifts in your life. Right now, what are five things you are grateful for? What is one thing that makes you hopeful? Stop what you are doing right now, and think about your response to those questions.
From this place, what is one action you can take? It is all too easy to come up with a laundry list of the things you are not able to do. Don’t start down that path. Whatever action you come up with might feel insignificant in the face of the size of some of the problems we are witnessing in the world right now. It is not insignificant–doing nothing is though. If you are having trouble thinking of something you can do, here are four options for starters.
1) Reach out to friends who may have a close connection to Afghanistan or Haiti (service members, humanitarian workers, refugees). A text or a phone call might be just what they need to be reminded that other people care about what they are going through.
2) Register to deploy or donate to an organization like Team Rubicon. Founded by veterans and launched initially in Haiti, this organization does incredible disaster response work, and even if you don’t travel to Haiti, you can find opportunities to serve near your home community.
3) Donate to an organization like Nuru International working to help some of the most vulnerable and marginalized communities to chart a pathway out of poverty and toward lasting hope.
4) Write a letter to your elected representative. Let them know you want our country to do what we can to help those who are hurting and suffering right now.
I can tell you that each of these actions matters. Too many of us are too worried and too paralyzed to take concrete action. Alone we cannot solve the massive challenges that our facing our world or even our local community, but together, when we each do our part, we can chart a better future together. What will you do to unleash goodness in our shared world today? Get started!
