How Can I Help?

Charlie Clements

A Homily from Dr. Charlie Clements, President, Unitarian Universalist Service Committee

Reflections on the December 26th Indian Ocean Tsunami Disaster
(December 30, 2004)

The barrage of images, stories, and statistics about the tsunami in South Asia can be deeply disturbing and provoke heartfelt inquiries.

What can I do to help?
Where can my contribution be most effective?
How can I protect myself from being overwhelmed or numbed by the magnitude of this tragedy?

These questions flow from our instinct to help, from the discomfort we feel while the media bombards us with 'death toll pornography' in the comfort of our homes, from our desire for our contributions to be promptly distributed and effectively used, and lastly from our common humanity that is in danger of being overloaded with each story of a brother and sister playing on the beach one moment and ripped from their parents' arms the next…not to be seen again.

There are not simple answers to any of these questions. However, here are some ways to think about them.

It is important to believe that you can make a difference. History is seldom made by individuals but rather by the sum of their responses in any situation. Your contribution no matter how small in the face of the massive needs can make a difference. The gross national income of Americans is $37,810 per year compared to $530 in India and $930 in Sri Lanka. So $100 can be either a fifth or a tenth of a family's annual income.

The local, regional, national, and international responses that are being made are complex and involve many organizations. Choose several that you trust and do not spend too much time trying to analyze the details of their operations.

Though the media has largely sought out English speaking tourists, whose stories are moving and dramatic, most of the victims cannot tell their stories. Don't let the dignity and worth of the survivors be denied by their portrayal as voiceless victims. Let this moment remind us of how fragile life can be. If we perceive the survivors as a ‘they', our responses may be charitable, but if we see them as part of an ‘us' then our responses will be empathic. Our solidarity is far more valuable to the survivors than our pity.

Don't feel badly if this is a difficult time to be as generous as you would like. The danger begins again for survivors when the media's attention and the international response diminishes. A larger tragedy can ensue when survivors are stalked by disease because aid agencies leave before public health infrastructure has been sufficiently rebuilt. Your support in a few weeks or a few months will be as important as immediate contributions.

The UUA, the UUSC, and the Holdeen India program are all working hand-in-hand with each other, with many of their overseas partners, and with other NGOs to aid the victims and help restore essential services. There are many other fine organizations involved in the massive emergency response.

In a time such as this I find it helpful to keep in mind some words from the Talmud:

Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world's grief.
Do justly, now.
Love mercy, now.
Walk humbly, now.
You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.

>>Liturgical Resources for Reflection on the Indian Ocean Tsunami

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