It seems as every couple months, there is a new natural disaster that occurs, causing us to pause for a minute from our hectic daily schedules and re-evaluate our lives. More importantly, to re-evaluate what life means to us. To name a few there was Hurricane Katrina way back in 2005, which killed more than 1800 people; in 2008 a cyclone in Burma that killed over 146,000 people; 2009 had the epidemic and most feared swine flu which took 11,800 people’s lives globally. Most recently was the earthquake in Haiti in 2010 which killed over 315,000 people and just earlier this month an earthquake and tsunami in Japan which has killed about 12,000 with 16,000 people still missing. What the hell mother nature?! What are we doing wrong? Why is this happening so frequently!?
Although I am not sure of the answer, it is a bit frightening, as these events are unplanned and tragically devastating. The threat of the year 2012 is often in the back of my mind, is this what it is accumulating to? Is this what mother natures plan is?
That’s jumping way too far ahead of the game, and perhaps the most we can take from all this is that maybe all of these events are a calling to join as a community, to help others while they are in need, and to ultimately, be able to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes. These events could literally happen to anyone. We thus far have just been lucky.
Over spring break, I traveled to London and saw masses of people each day, accumulate in Picadilly Circus (the Time square of the city) and pray; pray for Japan, pray for people to donate, pray for finding missing loved ones. Many people are finding unique ways to show their care for something that really, does not NEED to have any effect on us. But it does, because we know that there is no reason as to why it happened to them over us. Natural catastrophes are most frightening as they can be explained by science, but not by any comforting means to our mind.
It is hard to imagine what we would do during an earthquake, as the most tumultuous weather I have seen lately is the bizarre blizzard on April fool’s day. However, just as the people in London coped by praying, there are many other ways to give back to those in Japan right now who are suffering, and are in need of all of our hopes and concerns.
Being in college, I know I don’t have spare change hanging around to donate much more than a few pennies. I wish I did, but the quarters I get back from the Bagelry usually go towards my laundry, or the toll in Hampton on my way home. There are many more ways to help support the people of Japan than donation of money.
Stay positive with your liking!
Liking has become almost second nature to many of us on Facebook, sometimes people use it to the extreme, which is not always good for the notifications that pop up continuously on my phone in class. Utilizing your like button in a positive manner however, can do some good in helping raise money for Japan. Many rescue dogs are needed in Japan (seen here on CNN) to help find missing people. Explore organization has said if there is 100,000 likes on the “Dog Bless you” page, found on Facebook, the Annenberg foundation will donate $100,000 to the relief fund. Keep liking things ladies!
Tweet for relief
Pause your twitter account for a couple minutes, of whatever it is you usually tweet about, and use some of these hashtags to help spread awareness of the ongoing devastation, and also to connect you to other concerned tweeters!
Here are some key hashtags to try to use!
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#Jishin: focuses on general earthquake information
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#Anpi: a hashtag for the confirmation of the safety of individuals or places
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#PrayforJapan: A general hashtag for support and best wishes for victims of the crisis
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#Tsunami: for general tags, that many organizations are using to provide updates on all circumstances
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#Japanrelief: a hashtag for different ways that people are offering relief aids
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# NewsQuake: Constant updates about nuclear damage, missing persons, ways to help
Organize a sock Fundraiser!
Although you can donate directly to the Salvation Army, one of the most needed items by people in Japan is socks! The weather there is still chilly and often wet, and most in demand is socks! Get together with 10 or more of your friends, and if everyone brings a 3 pack of socks (about 5$ from Old Navy or EMS) you can have over 30 pairs, that you can drop off at a local Salvation army location!
Yoga for a Cause
Although I don’t normally need a reason to do yoga (besides being super stressed), for those who can’t always take the hour to get loose and sweaty, take an hour to help send our positive energies to those in distress in Japan. At the yoga studio that I normally attend in Dover (Rasamaya, right off of the main road downtown) I found that they offer a class to help Japan, both spiritually and financially. All proceeds, or the original cost of the class (12$ for students!), is benefiting the Save The Children Tsunami Relief Effort. The class is held on Thursdays from 8-9:15 am and will be an “all level flow class” continuing until May 26th. Take a break from your final studies and have some zen time benefiting both you and those in need of spiritual relief!
The class is described on the Facebook page as “In a world where we take the stability under our feet for granted, let’s join hands for those of us who are not as lucky…they are on a far edge of the world but they are close to our hearts”.
This is a good time to take an hour and open your hearts to something bigger than UNH, to make you feel self-fulfilled at doing something not only for yourself, but for those in need. Spread your love.
1000 Paper cranes
Having been a creative child, my mom at one point bought me a paper crane book, filled with hundreds of beautiful papers, and over 30 structures that I could fold the paper into. Although it held my attention for about only that day, it did offer me a new cultural perspective as I learned the significance behind the crane.
In a brief, the significance of 1000 paper cranes arises from an ancient tale regarding a “holy” crane (a stork like animal) that lived for 1000 years, and developed into a symbol of world peace. Sadako Sasaki’s story popularized this belief, in a story entitled, “Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes” which is about a Japanese girl who got leukemia from the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, and made it her goal to make 1000 paper cranes before she died. The book is truly inspiring and I recommend it to all, as it is a short and motivating story. Current Japan views the crane as a holy creature that when granted the gift of 1000 paper cranes, ones ultimate wish will come true.
Dosomething.org has proposed a contest that for every paper crane received, they will donate $2 to the Architecture for Humanity to support Japanese rebuilding efforts. More information can be found on their Facebook page. The website says that you can either mail your crane to mailing box, or send a picture via Facebook. Instructions on how to make a paper crane can be found here.
Get together with some of your friends, or take a break from the library and spend five to ten minutes, getting your prettiest pinks and spring green markers and pens, to decorate a piece of paper and fold it into a crane, the ultimate symbol of peace and hope!
While we are all old enough to understand the devastation and results of a natural disaster, it is important to remember that it is through support and help that will comfort those in need of relief. Something as simple as a like on a Facebook, or sending an extra pair of socks can really help someone in a way that you have no idea! More importantly, be aware of the meaning of community. A tragic event such as the Japan earthquake may limit and detriment us for the time being, but the communal hope and strength will ultimately bring the world together in an embracing manner.