After another deadly earthquake in Nepal yesterday, our attention has turned temporarily back to that region and its people.
But our attention spans are short. Before the 7.3 magnitude May quake, the devastation in Nepal from April’s severe 7.8 magnitude earthquake had been pushed from the media spotlight by the latest in political gaffes and celebrity gossip.
And yet it really was just the start of the rebuilding process, even more so now. Nepal is still in survival mode.
It’s always easy for various charities to attract donations in those first few hours and days when a tragedy like this occurs and the graphic images still have hearts pumping with adrenaline and empathy.
The photos of crumbled buildings spark generosity, as do the stories about heroic rescues and acts of selflessness, along with the oddities of the occasional person still being found alive in the rubble after a seemingly impossible period of time.
But when that’s done, the rest of the world tends to just get on with its day with nary a stray thought for those unfortunate enough to have to live with the consequences of the disaster day in and day out.
This isn’t a slight on anyone’s character, it’s just human nature. If we took every tragedy that happened every day around the globe onto ourselves we would be paralyzed with sorrow and terror.
No, at some point the world does move on.
But it’s also not a bad thing to think back on those who are still there in Nepal every now and then – and not just when there’s another deadly tremor.
It’s harder to sustain the public interest for the long-term slog back to normalcy than it is to snatch 15 minutes.
But reminders are needed, because funds are so desperately needed, and will continue to be for months, likely years to come.
There are a number of fundraisers coming up here in Cowichan, with monies to go to different villages and areas in Nepal, where Valley residents have ties.
So many of those in Nepal didn’t have very much to begin with; perhaps you’d like to consider reaching out a helping hand.
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