Giving a Helping Hand
Daniel Hudock
Issue date: 2/26/10 Section: Opinion
Shortly after the earthquake in Haiti, it was impossible to go anywhere without being asked to donate a dollar or two toward a relief fund. Everyone wanted to do something then, but in the past few weeks the news stories have been slowly drying up. There is a saying "think globally, act locally." It has become somewhat a cliché in the past few years, but it is still worthy advice.
Just a few weeks ago it was impossible to buy groceries, a burger, or even new windshield wiper blades without someone asking for a donation. The President of Robert Morris University even sent an e-mail to everyone on campus listing the fundraising activities of various student groups, including one group selling t-shirts. All worthy efforts.
The outpouring of compassion is reminiscent of similar responses to hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the 2004 Indonesian tsunami.
Katrina surfaced again as a storyline with the New Orleans Saints playing in and winning this year's Superbowl, but does anyone know offhand how the millions of people affected by the tsunami are faring today?
Americans, though a generous people, can be faulted for notoriously short attention spans. Once a problem is identified, we throw a ton of cash at it and it goes away as soon as some other shiny problem catches our eye. Mission accomplished, right?
We have dresser drawers dedicated to our generous nature. They are filled with t-shirts that testify to our compassion and beliefs. 9-11, murdered police officers, missing children, and the like. Eventually, all are destined to become rags to be used in some car wash to raise money for the next tragedy.
The life of a student is a busy one and can seem overwhelming at times. The demands of class-work in the pursuit of a degree can be trying on a person's time and energy. Free time is at a premium and the little of it that exists is spent blowing off steam, bonding with friends, and taking care of personal tasks.
A college degree is supposed to help students by preparing them for "real" life. But what is often overlooked is that as much as university life insulates a person from many of the realities of the "real world," a student exists in the same world as everyone else.
Just a few weeks ago it was impossible to buy groceries, a burger, or even new windshield wiper blades without someone asking for a donation. The President of Robert Morris University even sent an e-mail to everyone on campus listing the fundraising activities of various student groups, including one group selling t-shirts. All worthy efforts.
The outpouring of compassion is reminiscent of similar responses to hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the 2004 Indonesian tsunami.
Katrina surfaced again as a storyline with the New Orleans Saints playing in and winning this year's Superbowl, but does anyone know offhand how the millions of people affected by the tsunami are faring today?
Americans, though a generous people, can be faulted for notoriously short attention spans. Once a problem is identified, we throw a ton of cash at it and it goes away as soon as some other shiny problem catches our eye. Mission accomplished, right?
We have dresser drawers dedicated to our generous nature. They are filled with t-shirts that testify to our compassion and beliefs. 9-11, murdered police officers, missing children, and the like. Eventually, all are destined to become rags to be used in some car wash to raise money for the next tragedy.
The life of a student is a busy one and can seem overwhelming at times. The demands of class-work in the pursuit of a degree can be trying on a person's time and energy. Free time is at a premium and the little of it that exists is spent blowing off steam, bonding with friends, and taking care of personal tasks.
A college degree is supposed to help students by preparing them for "real" life. But what is often overlooked is that as much as university life insulates a person from many of the realities of the "real world," a student exists in the same world as everyone else.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Andrew Lewis
posted 3/03/10 @ 5:36 PM EST
A great man once said "knowledge without experience is idiocy and experience without knowledge is common sense." I start with this because, as I read your story, I notice that you are first part of that statement. (Continued…)
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posted 3/17/10 @ 8:44 AM EST
We need not only to take care, we need to CARE about it, not to be selfish and thinking only about ourselves
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