Tragedy

209 people died in Victoria, Australia last week. Our nation will stop today for a national day of mourning. We, as a nation, have given over $100 million to help those affected; we have given clothes, furniture, cars, food, heath care items, personal care items, kind words and prayer. We have heard all about it in the media for weeks, we have come together from all across Australia and formed a sense of community that didn't seem to exist before.

Those responsible for lighting the fires that took those lives are sought after, many wanting to see them dead, or at least in jail for the rest of their lives.

209 die. Everyone stops and watches in terror. Even on the other side of the world, USA and UK and others send their condolences, expressing their shock, grief and kind words of encouragement. Even Pupa New Guinea gave $1 Million to help us rebuild and get our lives back to normal.

Every source of media is overfilled with the news, stories, photos, opinions and forecast of the happenings. The morning news has special broadcasts, extending it until lunch time, the nightly news is broadcast live from one of the refuge centers filling our homes with the screams of desperation as we watch as the survivors realise what and who they have lost.

Our newspapers debate what the consequence of arson causing multiple deaths should be. Photos of burnt homes, sad families, large groups of people with no homes, no jobs, lost family, no smiles and who could forget the image of the burnt koala taking water from a fire fighter, are printed on the pages reminding us of what is unfolding.

The internet has up to the minute updates of death tallies, maps of the fires, hotlines to help find lost loved ones, ways to give to those affected and blogs from all around the world offering kind words. Here is the story in brief. There are facebook groups, Twitter updates, myspace bulletions and forums all buzzing with kind words, and offers of help.

Our radios have been playing interviews with survivors each telling their own story of survival, songs dedicated to the lost, those who lost someone and the fire fighting heroes who looked death in the eye and fought it.

209 die in a week in Australia. We all stop. It is a tragedy that affects us all and will take months, even years to rebuild.

26 500 - 30 000* die EVERYDAY due to poverty. Yesterday about 27 000 children died. Today about 26 000 children died and tomorrow another 26 000 children will die.

Few stop. Few take notice.

No national day of mourning.
No media saturated with the faces of those who died.
No one really knows who died.
No survivors telling their story about how they beat hunger.
No tearful mothers sharing with the world the hopes and dreams her son had.
No buzz across the world as we stand together to fight this evil.
No one offering words of hope.
No $100 million given by Australians in a week.
No extended special edition morning news broadcast explaining how and why this happened.
No one is hunting for those responsible for the crisis in order to bring justice, as those responsible is us.

What will it take for us to care?

Are you offended?

Did reading this make you think, "How dare she..." or "How could she.."?

Are you, right now, trying to think of what you have given or done, to justify yourself?

What will it take?

How many lives have to be lost before we stand up and fight?


Let's open our eyes..

and see what's really happening...

Here is part of a song - Give me Your eyes - Brandon Heath...


Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
Ones that are far beyond my reach.
Give me your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see


and the bridge from Jon Foreman's song, Instead of a Show...

give love to the ones who can’t love at all
give hope to the ones who got no hope at all
stand up for the ones who can’t stand up at all



*Stats from global issues