Sidesspot

The tsunami victims are hard to ignore. Not only have they suffered an unexpected natural disaster of mind-blowing proportions, but even before it struck many of them lived a desolate life that was most often spent acquiring essentials like food, housing and clothing. They weren't completely hopeless, but there's no doubt that a day like mine would be as foreign to some natives as a Martian alien's would be to me. The point is, I knew of their desolation before the disaster, and now it's even more pronounced. This thought never left my mind, and yet I never altered my behavior either. I just thought about it...over and over, without necessarily changing or doing anything.

And so here I am, preparing to sleep in my queen size bed in my up-scale, downtown two bedroom apartment which I have all to myself, and I've still done virtually nothing. I've donated some money to the Red Cross, but it was chump change. It was as meaningful as my wasteful decision to drive a few blocks and park in a garage. This is my story, and I am not alone.