Random

I finished a GRE Practice test about an hour ago and am seriously unmotivated to study----so I suppose when you are trying to avoid studying, some really random things will come to mind.

For some reason I started thinking about the Tsunami that hit South Asia on December 26th 2004. I don't know why I started to think about it- random...seriously out-of-the-blue things often come to my mind so it's not a huge surprise. Anyways, I found this video on youtube:

watch it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOsFBxhBsBk

As I watched this video, first I was just fascinated by nature and it's power and capabilities. Secondly, I just felt it...a rush of sadness and grief over how terrifying that moment must have been for some many people. It was just a beautiful day at the beach for so many tourists and another day of work for natives & everything changed in a moment. As I watched the video, I found myself becoming so fearful...yet- I know that doesn't even begin to compare to actually experiencing it.
The death toll for those multiple tsunamis is over 200,000...that's crazy. It's just so ridiculous how big the world is- that we can wake up and do our day-to-day and on another side of the world---in a moment (or a few moments) hundreds of thousands of people can be lost to the world.
I hate how unaffected I am most of the time, but I know you can't walk around just being completely destroyed by tragedy b/c you would be paralyzed b/c there is just so much of it in this world. But, still----I think I need to be more informed about the tragic happenings of this world---those that happen in a moment and even more- those that happen over a decade. It's so easy to live blind to the rest of the world. It's so comfortable.

But, i think if you force yourself to be in the know----i mean, educate yourself about issues of poverty, disease, injustice, oppression or even just the day-in/day-out turmoil of the impoverished of this world...if you force yourself to do what is hard---to look at them.....to look at the issues....to look at the needy who lost their loved-ones in South Asia in a moment....if you force yourself to look at them.....to not turn a blind-eye, then I think you will care enough to do something. you have care enough, right?

Wow- I am on a big soapbox. This is seriously hard for me.....I wrestle with this all the time...fighting living in guilt for my western, wealthy, comfortable life and asking God why me? and then fighting the other side of being so self-absorbed and materialistic that I can't even begin to look at someone else's need. It's so hard. I suppose that's just a battle you fight in this life.

I just rambled a bunch of stuff to who-knows-all....but if anything... tragedy like the tsunamis really make me recognize how fleeting life is. How in a moment...it can be over.