Waiting on the World to Change

Dearest Readers,
As you all know, unless you have been living under a rock for the past 3 weeks, a shattering earthquake hit Haiti that landed a 7.0 on the Richter Scale. The quake left thousands who were already impoverished homeless and left many more searching for family and friends in the aftermath. The travesty led to one amazing result: immediate world-wide attention. Red Cross, the Marines, and the pocketbooks of America jumped in to save the day. While this result was overwhelmingly amazing, I feel that we as Americans are overlooking one small problem: Why did it take an earthquake for us to help save Haiti?
In my Anthropology class last quarter, we read "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder (who is a man in case you wondering...it threw me off too). The book is essentially a biography of Paul Farmer a man who has been working in Haiti for over 20 years. His organization Partners In Health opened and operates a free health care clinic to prevent the spread of tuberculosis and other curable diseases in Haiti. Paul Farmer's concept boils down to this: if we have a cure, why should anyone, anywhere have to die from this disease? Everyone deserves Free Health Care in the eyes of Paul Farmer. He opened his clinic, Zanmi Lasante, in Haiti an hour north of Port-au-Prince (the main site of the recent quake), which aids everyone regardless of their monetary situation. Not to mention, Farmer is hiring Haitians and training them to work in the clinic, thus he provides both job opportunities and health care in tandem. Partners in Health has expanded to include new countries like Peru and new problems like the AIDS epidemic. But this little rant on my love for Paul Farmer and Kidder's book (which you should all go buy right now...DO IT!) is merely a digression from my overall message. It took a massive earthquake for us to give Haiti the attention that it has deserved for the past 20 years. Granted, there are a lot of problems in the world, and there is no way to solve them all. However, should it take thousands of homeless people's pictures plastered on television for us to donate money, should it take a genocide in Sudan for us to finally help?
Though the world's problems seem insurmountable, especially to an 18-year-old with a college budget, Paul Farmer's message is that all people can change the world (gaggable and cliche...I know, but isn't it precious?). Dedicate yourself to one cause and pursue it. Giving money to the red cross is great (heck I did it), but there are millions of organizations that could put our $10 college donations to better use.
Lesson to be learned: Read the news, talk to professors, and read up on the problems of the world to find the cause of your choice. Sometimes I feel like I can do so little to help the world, but if all I can right now is be aware, sometimes that is enough. Because when the Haiti quake hit, I knew exactly where my money should go.
Peace and Love,
Adorkable