We've been having a lot of rain here in the Heart of Dixie. I whine about it a lot. People have died in flash flooding. It's bad.
But today, Tropical Storm Ketsana hit the Philippines with "a month's worth of rain in just 12 hours." At least 40 people are dead.
For me, this is an example of how relationship is the primary way to change the world. I care about the Philippines because I've been there. I have friends who are practically family there. I've seen its history illustrated in dance. I've flirted with its babies. I've experienced a complicated relationship with its food.
A tropical storm hitting the Philippines affects me differently than a storm hitting another Southeast Asian nation. I'm not proud of that, but it's true, and it's pretty normal I think.
What is scariest to me about this story is what I know about Manila. I know that there are slums there, where people live without any roofs to escape to when the water rises. Cardboard isn't known for it's water-proof qualities. I know that those slums have hundreds of children who will not be missed when official body counts are made.
Forty people is a made-up number. It is a reminder that we still live in a world where some people count (literally) and some don't. And the ones who count are the ones we can relate to in some way.
So what can we do to develop relationships with all the people around the world who currently aren't counted, whose disasters are just headlines to most of us, who are forgotten once the next crisis rolls around? Do you think that, maybe, if we could somehow hook each vulnerable population up with a group of people whose care could translate into useful assistance and advocacy, that we could create a better world?
Student exchange programs may seem fluffy, but I don't think they are if they're done well. I think we need more of them. But that won't be enough. Church exchanges, international pulpit exchanges, choir exchanges, executive exchanges, artist exchanges, politician exchanges... It's really too bad air travel is so bad for the environment. So all those engineer types can help out by getting busy on that part too.
In the meantime, I shall continue to pray for my brothers and sisters in the Philippines.
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If Americans traveled more, it might also help end our history of violence abroad. I fret over the fly-or-nest conundrum posed by the climate crisis. I've been following somewhat the slow progress of the Boeing 787, a craft that is supposed to get 20% better fuel economy than the standard now.
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