For new readers, so my sense of humor isn't misunderstood, I'm being entirely facetious in my title. Yeah, I've never seen the likes of traffic pre-tsunami as I do now. And I am unindated with email, trackbacks, and comments. (My email priority is on folks that need information assistance related to regions I was at first-hand or regarding relief efforts.)
"How does it feel to be part of history?" asks the kindly older gentleman from Santa Rosa, California that offers his assistance on my flight home via Tokyo.
If truth be told and I had my choice, I'd prefer not to be part of history. Or at least not in this manner.
If it were just me involved (truly "it's just a flesh wound") it would be much easier to deal with, but I witnessed a lot of devastation and tragedy first-hand and that's what's racking my mind. I am particularly disheartened when I see people complaining about so-called "taxpayer-funded charity" and "what about causes closer to home" in response to the U.S. government's new pledge to contribute $350 million to the relief effort. But I expected as much because even as close as Bangkok, it all feels so distant and far removed from the bustle of our lives.
At the American Express office (brilliantly helpful) within the US Embassy (not brilliantly helpful) offices in Bangkok, I spoke to one Embassy employee whom had drifted into the office. Speaking with him, his feelings were transparently demonstrated in his tone, expressions and the way he chose his words. He had more symphathy for the Marines in the Philippines having their Christmas vacation being cut short than those who had their lives cut short. Obviously, this tragedy didn't hit home for him.
I know a lot of people reading this blog now don't know me from Adam, you found me on Google or perhaps on Jeff Jarvis' or Robert Scoble's blog. I don't usually write about tsunamis and disaster relief funding. And then there are my regular readers who must be muttering when is she going to write again about anything other than the tsunami (I'm being a bit facetious yet again).
In a lot of ways though, the subject matter isn't alien to what I typically write about. In an older post entitled "Ripple Effects" I wrote:
While writing my post a month ago on evangelism, I was thinking about what my blog really evangelizes. It probably really comes down to:
People Matter (and What Matters to People Sells). A Corollary: We're all kindred spirits and there's a core set of universal values that bond and motivate us.
So discussing the aftershocks of the tsunami isn't really all that off-base for this blog. And if you are just nodding your head yes-yes, but I've got to finish up this annual report or you're a skeptical marketer, you might want to know that no one hesitated to pick up their child in place of the cool, state-of-the-art camera as they ran for high ground. And no one hesitated to offer their tent to use as a makeshift stretcher for those with broken limbs. In fact, I know no one that cared one iota about where their stuff was seconds after the tsunami subsided and they realized they and their loved ones were really still alive. I lost my favorite (a sentimental pair from a lovely trip to Venice) sunglasses - they were whisked from my face as I'm barreling down with the water. I knew it was only a matter of time anyway before I'd lose them. Big whoop. Practicing Buddhist non-attachment isn't a bad practice. Actually more importantly is what the Thai Buddhists call metta or, the practice of loving-kindness. Like Hugh says somewhere (ummm, perhaps in the Hughtrain?), molecules (stuff) are secondary.
Although 9/11 may have had a life-altering effect on the American pysche, the Indian Ocean tsunami will have more of an international one. So many countries were directly affected, and because of the peak travel season timing so many international tourists (Americans were in the minority) were as well. I met travellers from Mexico, Indonesia, Singapore, India, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Britian, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Canada, Australia, and many more. And each of us personally witnessed the havoc to fellow travellers and Thais alike.
I think a lot of people failed to realize the magnitude of 9/11 on the fundamental values and psychographics of Americans. It too was a wake-up call. A re-minder. As I've mentioned previously, market research on teens and 'tweens shows that they are more interested in matters of faith and religion as a result of 9/11. And it's not just youngsters:
Like a lot of people these days, I'm a recovering secularist. Until September 11 I accepted the notion that as the world becomes richer and better educated, it becomes less religious. - David Brooks, "The Recovering Secularist", The Atlantic Monthly, March 2003
People ask me what are the lessons I take away from this - it's just too soon to have integrated all this into my life. Of course nothing will be normal again. There is more of a sense of urgency to do what's truly important and purposeful and cut through the clutter. If you stick around, you'll see the lessons weaved into the threads and texture of this blog and other places.
So I apologize to regular readers if this is getting a little old, but if you give it a chance, you will see this is relevant to your day-to-day life - and yes, even to your business life (if you think that's separate).
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